Thousands of people joined the demonstration at “Hostage Square.” According to a forum for relatives of the hostages, there are also five hostages still alive. One of them, Nimrod Cohen, believes Hamas knows exactly where the remaining hostages are. “Every day that passes is another day that one of them could be lost forever,” the Times of Israel quoted him as saying.
Shortly before, the Arabic language newspaper Al-Jazeera, citing a senior source within the ranks of the Qassam Brigades – Hamas’ military wing – reported that The remains of soldier Hadar Goldin, who was kidnapped by Hamas in 2014, were found south of the coastal strip.
The 23-year-old soldier was captured by Hamas fighters near the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in August 2014 during the Gaza war ceasefire. What actually happened to him after that is unknown. The Israeli army later declared Goldin dead.
Following reports of the alleged discovery of Goldin’s body, Israeli Chief of General Staff Ejal Zamir visited the parents of the slain soldier, according to local media reports. The family said he had told them about efforts to bring back the hostages, without providing further details. They said they were waiting for official confirmation regarding the return of Goldin’s body to Israel.
