In a powerful and symbolic act of closure, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it has destroyed the Rafah tunnel in southern Gaza used by Hamas during the 2014 abduction of Lt. Hadar Goldin. The operation came just hours after Hamas returned Goldin’s body to Israel, ending more than a decade of anguish for his family and the nation.  

Lt. Goldin, a young officer in the Givati Brigade, was killed and taken by Hamas terrorists during what was supposed to be a humanitarian ceasefire in the 2014 Gaza War. His abduction, carried out in violation of that truce, became one of the most haunting symbols of Hamas’s brutality and deceit.  

The IDF confirmed that the Rafah tunnel — a key part of Hamas’s military network — was located and destroyed as part of Israel’s continuing counterterrorism operations in Gaza. Military officials described the demolition as both a tactical necessity and a moral act, ensuring that no trace of the tunnel used in Goldin’s abduction remains.  

For years, Lt. Goldin’s family fought tirelessly for the return of his remains, calling for international pressure on Hamas to comply with humanitarian and moral norms. Their ordeal became emblematic of Israel’s struggle to bring home its fallen soldiers and resist the exploitation of their memory by terror groups.  

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the IDF for the operation, saying Israel “does not forget its heroes” and “will never rest until every fallen soldier is brought home.” Defense officials underscored that the destruction of the tunnel also serves as a warning to Hamas — that Israel will not tolerate any infrastructure that enables kidnapping, terror, or violence against its troops.  

The demolition of the