Deaths and ransoming of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin

On July 21, 2014, Hamas announced it had captured Israel Defense Forces soldier Oron Shaul (Hebrew: אורון שאול) during the Battle of Shuja'iyya. Initially Israel denied the capture,[1][2] but later acknowledged it. Shaul is presumed by Israel to be dead, and there were negotiations between Israel and Hamas to exchange his body for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

On August 1, Hamas captured Hadar Goldin (Hebrew: הדר גולדין) near Rafah. He is believed to died before his body was taken away by Hamas.

Oron Shaul

Oron Shaul
Born
Israel
Died2014
Shuja'iyya, Gaza Strip
OccupationSoldier
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin showing American President Donald Trump photos of Oron Shaul (left) and Hadar Goldin (right) in 2017.

During the Battle of Shuja'iyya on July 20, 2014, Hamas fired an anti-tank missile at an IDF armored personnel carrier carrying 7 soldiers, including Oron Shaul.[3] Hamas rapidly claimed to have captured an IDF soldier named Aron Shaul, backing up its claim with the soldier's "photo ID and credentials".[4][5][6] On July 21, Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, denied the capture, saying "There is no kidnapped Israeli soldier and those rumors are untrue".[1][2]

The IDF later confirmed that the body of Oron Shaul had not been identified among the dead found inside the vehicle.[7][8][9] Shaul's fate was the focus of great concern during the short period when it was feared that he had been taken captive, because, according to the Associated Press, "In the past, Israel has paid a heavy price in lopsided prisoner swaps to retrieve captured soldiers or remains held by its enemies."[10] According to The New York Times , "Hamas has recognized the pull such incidents have over the Israeli psyche and clearly has moved to grab hostages.[11]

The claim that an Israeli soldier had been captured, "touched off celebrations among Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank", according to The Independent, which ran photos of Palestinians cheering in the streets of Ramallah.[5][4] According to The New York Times, "Celebrations immediately broke out in Gaza and the West Bank."[11]

Hamas television celebrated the purported kidnapping with a victory mocking the grief of Shaul's family and celebrating the alleged hostage-taking in song: "We've taken a second Shalit, a young, blond-haired boy."[12][13]

By 22 July, spokesmen for Israel questioned the claim of capture.[5]

On July 25, Israel confirmed that Shaul was dead.[14]

Hadar Goldin

Hadar Goldin
הדר גולדין
Born(1991-02-18)February 18, 1991
DiedAugust 1, 2014(2014-08-01) (aged 23)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Category:Hadar Goldin.

On 1 August during the 2014 Gaza War, Hamas militants emerged from a tunnel and attacked an Israeli patrol in Rafah.[15] Killing two Israeli soldiers, the militants returned to Rafah through a tunnel, bringing the body of Givati Brigade Lieutenant Hadar Goldin with them.[16] Israel at first believed that the militants had abducted Goldin and were holding him, but later determined that he had also been killed.[17] The IDF Rabbinate later declared the Goldin deceased for the purposes of Jewish burial and grieving rituals and buried the remains.[18]

Ransom demands for the soldiers' bodies

On August 11 Israeli Minister of Defense, Moshe Ya'alon visited the Shaul family to inform them that the government was making every effort to retrieve their son's body from Hamas.[19][20]

There was coverage of the request for Hamas to return the bodies of Shaul and Goldin in international media through the late summer and early fall of 2014.[21][22][23][24]

The question of whether Israel should release convicted Palestinian militants in exchange for Hamas' agreement to release the bodies of the 2 dead soldiers ignited a heated political debate within Israel.[25][26] Apparently referring to the 2 bodies, Hamas official Mushir al-Masri boasted that "Hamas has bargaining chips that forced Israel to succumb to Palestinian demands. The indirect negotiations mediated by the Egyptians may in the future lead to a new prisoner swap deal in which many Palestinian prisoners are freed." on his Facebook page.[27]

Ongoing negotiations for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel for the bodies of the 2 MIAs have been the focus of international press coverage.[28][29][30]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Israel denies capture of soldier in Gaza". Al Jazeera.
  2. ^ a b "Israel's UN envoy denies Israeli soldier abducted by Hamas". Al-Ahram. 21 Jul 2014.
  3. ^ Harel, Amos (20 July 2014). "Soldiers killed in Gaza were deployed in 50-year-old APC". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  4. ^ a b Plesser, Ben (22 July 2014). "Israel Hunts Remains of Missing Soldier Sgt. Oron Shaul". NBC. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Lynfield, Ben (22 July 2014). "Israel-Gaza conflict: Israeli military names soldier Oron Shaul confirmed as 'missing' after Hamas celebrates alleged kidnap". The Independent. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. ^ 'Hamas says it has captured Israeli soldier in Gaza' Archived 2014-11-19 at the Wayback MachineMa'an News Agency 20 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Israel says soldier missing, presumed dead; Kerry presses for truce". Reuters.
  8. ^ Ginsberg, Mitch (22 July 2014). "Golani soldier Oron Shaul caught in Gaza ambush is MIA". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  9. ^ Raghavan, Sudarsan (22 July 2014). "Missing Israeli soldier, canceled flights could shift dynamic of Gaza conflict". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  10. ^ Goldenberg, TIA (22 July 2014). "Missing soldier feared to be Hamas prisoner — a nightmare scenario for Israel amid international push for truce". National Post. AP. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  11. ^ a b Rudoren, Jodi (22 July 2014). "A Blast, a Fire and an Israeli Soldier Goes Missing". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  12. ^ PalWatch (23 July 2014). "Hamas song mocks Israeli MIA Oron Shaul". Palestinian Media Watch. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  13. ^ Levitt, Matthew (15 October 2014). "Hamas is going through a rough patch, so what is it singing about?". The Hill. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  14. ^ Cohen, Gili (25 July 2014). "IDF determines Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, previously considered missing, is dead". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  15. ^ "IDF: Israeli soldier probably captured". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  16. ^ Shapir, Yiftah S.; Perel, Gal (2014). "Subterranean Warfare: A New-Old Challenge". In Kurz, Anat; Brom, Shlomo (eds.). The Lessons of Operation Protective Edge (PDF). Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 October 2021.
  17. ^ Saul, Heather (1 August 2014). "Israeli soldier 'captured in tunnel attack' by Gaza militants". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  18. ^ Images, Getty (3 August 2014). "Thousands Attend Funeral of Fallen IDF Soldier Hadar Goldin". The Forward. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  19. ^ Raved, Yahiya (11 August 2014). "Ya'alon tells family: Oron Shaul's body is in Hamas' hands". YnetNews. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  20. ^ Ben Porat, Ido (11 August 2014). "Ya'alon Vows to Recover Body of Oron Shaul". Arutz Sheva. Israel National News. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  21. ^ Kieu, Chu (30 September 2014). "Bản tin 20H: Ukraine buộc tội Nga hỗ trợ miền Đông". Tienphong. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  22. ^ Aurora (1 October 2014). "Hamás: "Un trato por los cuerpos de los soldados es inminente"". Aurora. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Israel requested the return of the bodies during ceasefire talks". International Business Times. 12 August 2014.
  24. ^ TOIstaff (21 September 2014). "At ceasefire talks, Israel to demand return of 2 soldiers' bodies". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  25. ^ CohenGil (1 October 2014). "Israel refusing to release rearrested Hamas prisoners from Shalit deal, official says". Haaretz. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  26. ^ Dvorin, Tova (30 September 2014). "Report: Israel, Hamas Close to Terrorist Swap Deal; Hamas official boasts of 'bargaining chip' ahead on Facebook page". Arutz Sheva. Israel National News. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  27. ^ staffIsraelHaYom (10 October 2014). "Hamas says it might trade IDF soldiers' bodies for prisoners". Israel HaYom. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  28. ^ MNA (14 October 2014). "Official: Israel, Hamas to discuss prisoner exchange". Ma'an News Agency. MNA. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  29. ^ Winer, Stuart (14 October 2014). "Hamas official claims prisoner deal coming soon". Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  30. ^ i24 (20 October 2014). "Egypt issues invitations for Israel-Palestinian talks". i24news. Retrieved 20 October 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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