Hundreds of Israelis bid farewell to army officer Hadar Goldin, who was laid to rest Tuesday in the central town of Kfar Saba after Hamas returned his remains more than a decade after his death in Gaza.

Crowds packed the military cemetery, with some climbing onto rooftops to glimpse the funeral, while others filled the streets and watched on a large outdoor screen.

Blue-and-white Israeli flags fluttered in the wind, as mourners held the young lieutenant's portrait alongside a homemade banner reading: "We will remember forever."

Israel received Goldin's remains on Sunday as part of an ongoing Gaza ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump that has halted the latest war.

His father, Simcha Goldin, hailed his son as a "Jewish warrior", while urging tearful mourners to "behave righteously and do not hate one another. That is Hadar's legacy."

"I ask you to act the same way, and to let there be a little more of Hadar in our daily lives," he said

Hadar Goldin, 23, was killed on August 1, 2014 during a previous Israeli offensive in Gaza known as "Operation Protective........

© Al Monitor