Yusuf Masoud, a member of the Izz al-Din al-Kassam Brigades, and brother to the commander of the terrorist group that took the body of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin, was released to the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Masoud sat in an Israeli prison for nearly 20 years. He was arrested at the Abu Holi checkpoint in the southern Gaza Strip in 2003 and was convicted of launching rockets at the Gush Katif settlement bloc (before the Israeli withdrawal) and of terrorist activity.
Masoud has two brothers who were killed during terror acts and, like him, were members of the military arm of Hamas. One of them, Yassin Masoud, was killed while trying to rescue other Hamas terrorists from a collapsed tunnel in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza.
Walid Masoud, the second brother, was killed in August 2014 during what was then called the "Black Friday in Rafiah." This was the day when Goldin's body was taken, which caused a massive attack by the IDF which led to the deaths of dozens of Palestinians in Rafiah.
Goldin was taken during Operation Protective Edge
Walid served as head of the team during Operation Protective Edge, who grabbed the body of Goldin, an officer with the rank of captain in the Givati commando unit. Goldin fell during an operation to find tunnels in the region of Rafiah. Walid was killed during the same operation.
According to Palestinian reports, the IDF took Masoud's body from the scene because they thought it was Goldin's body, as he apparently was dressed in an IDF uniform to confuse the soldiers. Walid's body is still in Israel.
In December 2022, Hamas presented an alleged IDF Tavor rifle and claimed that the rifle was Hadar Goldin's. Hamas also presented the weapon's serial number - 42852351. Hadar's brother, Tzur, responded by criticizing Israel's conduct regarding the release of his brother's body.
"No one spoke to us until today, no one bothered to update us. Until today, we are being interviewed and this reflects the attitude and treatment of the families of hostages in Israel. It becomes unclear who the enemy is if it's the families or the terror organization who holds the soldier, who fought at the front during Protective Edge, as a hostage.
"Hamas is the one who sets the prices, who defines the language, and we are playing into their hands," he continued. "Hamas creates two different equations. Either we pay a heavy price and free terrorists, or we destroy our mutual solidarity, a supreme value and interest, without which our society will be destroyed. There is a supreme principle that we don't leave a soldier behind. If you want to change this, go ahead, but there is a supreme principle."
"Hamas creates two different equations. Either we pay a heavy price and free terrorists, or we destroy our mutual solidarity, a supreme value and interest, without which our society will be destroyed. There is a supreme principle that we don't leave a soldier behind. If you want to change this, go ahead, but there is a supreme principle."
Tzur Goldin