Israel said the remains it received on Sunday from Hamas were those of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, an Israeli officer killed more than a decade ago in the 2014 Gaza war.

Goldin was the 24th deceased hostage whose remains have been returned by Hamas since the start of the ceasefire on October 10 that has halted the latest war in Gaza, which broke out in October 2023.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said forensic experts had confirmed the remains were of Goldin.

"Today, we are united in having finally brought him back to his parents and his family to be laid to rest in Israel," Netanyahu said in a video statement posted on X, holding a photograph of Goldin.

"It's a relief. It's time for this family to finally be able to mourn," Judith Touati, a resident of Ramla in central Israel told AFP.

"In Israel, no one is forgotten, and we do everything to bring everyone home, even after 11 years."

The return of the Goldin's remains in particular marked a deeply symbolic moment for Israel -- where the military's creed of leaving no soldier behind is treated as sacred -- closing a painful 11-year chapter that has haunted both his family and the nation.

Several friends of Goldin's family and his former comrades had gathered at the........

© Al Monitor