Special envoy Jason Greenblatt tweeted on Friday that he met with the family of IDF soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin, and that Hamas must return his remains, as well as those of St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul.
“Hamas must return Hadar and Oron as well as imprisoned Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed,” he wrote.This week I met with the family of IDF soldier Hadar Goldin who – along with Oron Shaul - is cruelly held by Hamas as a bargaining chip. Hamas must return Hadar & Oron as well as imprisoned Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu & Hisham al-Sayed pic.twitter.com/zr56PPw0za
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) August 30, 2019
The IDF holds that Goldin was killed during Operation Protective Edge in a Hamas attack on August 1, 2014, when he was 23 years old.
It similarly holds that Shaul, then 20, was killed on July 20 of that year, when an armored personnel carrier he was traveling in was hit.
Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, believed to be suffering from mental disabilities, crossed into Gaza after the war.
It is believed that they are alive but held captive.