Israel has confirmed that IDF and Shin Bet forces arrested Marwan Al-Hams, a Hamas operative involved in determining the death of Lt. Hadar Goldin during “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014 and suspected of knowing the location of his burial in a tunnel in Rafah.
The arrest took place in July during a classified, intelligence-based operation, Israeli officials announced late Wednesday. They said the mission was one of dozens of covert operations in recent months aimed at retrieving the remains of Israeli soldiers held by Hamas.
“Al-Hams was involved in the determination of Lt. Hadar Goldin’s death and was suspected of knowing the location of his burial in the ‘White-Crowned’ tunnel in Rafah,” the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) said in a joint statement. “The apprehension operation was part of dozens of confidential operations conducted in the past six months and was a part of a broad effort by the IDF and ISA to retrieve Lt. Hadar Goldin and return him for burial in Israel.”
Goldin was buried on Nov. 11 at the military cemetery in Kfar Saba, more than 4,000 days after he fell in battle. His return to Israel on Nov. 9 came as part of a U.S.-brokered truce agreement that led Hamas to transfer his remains from Gaza.
Three bodies remain in Hamas custody: IDF Sgt. Ran Gvili and Dror Or, and Thai citizen Sudthisak Rinthalak, who was working in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
