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It has been 4,000 days since Hadar Goldin, a 23-year-old Israeli soldier and budding artist, was ambushed and killed by Hamas terrorists throughout a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza.
His stays have by no means been returned.
For his mom, Leah Goldin, the passage of time has solely deepened the urgency. In a wide-ranging interview marking the grim milestone, she thanked President Donald Trump and his advisors for his or her efforts to this point— and requested for them to make sure that no ceasefire, normalization deal or regional settlement strikes ahead with out the return of her son.
“We’re turning to and hoping that President Trump and his folks — who perceive this challenge — will acknowledge that the true victory over Iran is to convey everybody dwelling instantly and unconditionally. Hadar is a logo, and the Saudis should make this demand on their facet, as a result of you may’t converse of normalization whereas we stay in a state of abnormality.
MARCO RUBIO HOLDS FIRST MEETING WITH FAMILIES OF HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS
Hadar Goldin’s physique has been held captive by Hamas terrorists for 4,000 days. Goldin was killed by the phobia group, who’ve held his physique as a bargaining chip ever since. (Courtesy: Carry Them House Now)
“These offers are a bluff — and this selective course of is horrific. It’s killing the households and the hostages. The additional we go with out bringing everybody again and ending this terrible struggle, the extra Hadar Goldins there might be. It’s insufferable.”
Hadar Goldin was born to a distinguished household of educators and raised on values of religion, service and compassion. Hadar was recognized for his light character, sharp mind and deep inventive expertise. He had simply gotten engaged. In his free time, he drew portraits, wrote poetry and taught youngsters with disabilities.
He was serving within the elite Givati Brigade when, on Aug. 1, 2014, throughout Operation Protecting Edge, Hamas violated a ceasefire — agreed upon hours earlier with U.S. and U.N. mediation — by launching a shock assault. Hadar was killed and dragged right into a tunnel inside Gaza.
For his mom, that second shattered not solely her household’s world, but in addition what she calls “the Israeli army’s sacred code.”
“The IDF’s ethos is rarely to leave a soldier behind,” she mentioned. “However on August 28, 2014, Israel signed a ceasefire with Hamas with out demanding Hadar’s return. That broke one thing elementary.”
Over the previous decade, Leah Goldin has met with world leaders, lawmakers and army officers throughout the U.S. and Europe, in search of justice for her son and others like him. She factors to U.N. Safety Council Decision 2474, handed in 2019, which obligates all events to an armed battle to return the stays of the lifeless as a humanitarian act and confidence-building measure.
“That is worldwide regulation,” she mentioned. “And but Hadar continues to be in Gaza.”
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Family of hostages nonetheless held in Gaza, Anthony Rubio, Moshe Lavi, Tzur Goldin, Iair Horn and Ilay David meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on June 28, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (The Hostages and Lacking Households Discussion board)
Goldin credit the Trump administration for taking the issue seriously. “When the decision handed in 2019, it was Trump’s folks — Jason Greenblatt, Nikki Haley — who led the best way,” she mentioned.
In the present day, Goldin sees a uncommon alternative — a convergence of diplomatic efforts with Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Gaza — to demand Hadar’s return earlier than any agreements are finalized.
“Saudi Arabia has huge leverage,” she mentioned. “They’re main the Islamic world. If they need normalization with Israel, then allow them to demand the return of Hadar and the entire hostages as a gesture of goodwill.”
She additionally praised Steve Witkoff, a Trump envoy on each Iran and Saudi points, and urged him to attach the dots. “He’s accountable for the offers. He is aware of the hostages matter. Don’t say you’ll end the enterprise and cope with the hostages later. That’s immoral.”

File displaying a terrorist from Hamas collaborating in a army parade. (Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/File Picture)
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Goldin says she has misplaced belief within the Israeli authorities, which she believes has repeatedly sidelined her son for political comfort. “It’s the identical folks for 11 years, simply in numerous chairs,” she mentioned. “They signal ceasefires, they launch terrorists — however go away Hadar behind.”
Since Hamas’ October 7 bloodbath, Leah and her household have taken on a brand new function: advising and supporting the households of present hostages by way of the Hostage and Lacking Households Discussion board, a bunch they helped construct within the days after the assault.
“My son Tzur, who additionally served in particular forces, mentioned no household ought to undergo this alone,” she mentioned. “So we organized — gave them our contacts, our instruments, our classes. However it’s painful. As a result of we’ve seen this earlier than. And we all know how simple it’s to be forgotten.”
She calls the continued hostage negotiations “a nightmare of choice,” the place some are prioritized and others left behind. “As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, this seems like ethical collapse,” she mentioned.

President Donald Trump meets with a number of hostages free of Hamas March 7. (Hostage Households Discussion board)
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Goldin says she is not going to cease till Hadar — and all of the hostages — come dwelling.
“Hadar is not only my son,” she mentioned. “He’s a logo now. And in each ceasefire, in each backroom deal, in each ‘enterprise as traditional’ second — I would like the world to recollect his title.”