Hamas terrorists besieged behind Israeli lines in Gaza are reportedly holding remains of IDF soldier kidnapped in 2014

The remains of IDF soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose body was kidnapped by Hamas in 2014, are being held by the Hamas terrorists who are stuck in the tunnels behind Israeli lines, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

Several hours later, the IDF denied the reports, stating there "is no information in the IDF’s possession indicating that Hadar Goldin’s body is located in a tunnel where Hamas terrorists are present in the Rafah area."

"These are false claims that cause harm to the family. The IDF urges the public to rely solely on announcements from official sources and to refrain from spreading unverified rumors which harm the families of the hostages and the public," said the military.

The question of what to do with the 100 to 200 Hamas terrorists who were left stranded on Israel’s side of the ceasefire line has been weighing on Israeli leaders these past several days.

New media reports on Wednesday, citing Israeli sources, suggested that these terrorists, who are holed up in the tunnels beneath the ruins of Rafah, are holding the body of Goldin.

The reports cited officials who said Israel is refraining from launching an airstrike or detonating the tunnel systems out of fear that doing so could jeopardize the possibility of recovering Goldin’s body.

Following the initial reports regarding the Hamas terrorists, who are responsible for the death of three IDF soldiers since the start of the ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reportedly inclined to allow them to cross the Yellow Line unharmed if they surrendered their weapons.

However, after swift and harsh criticism from across the political spectrum, Netanyahu's office clarified that he would not permit this and will continue “his firm stance of disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Strip while thwarting terrorist threats against our forces.”

Channel 12 News political analyst Amit Segal noted, “It’s quite possible that [Goldin] is buried there,” but added, “The fact that the IDF did not operate there has other reasons – ranging from pressure by the mediating parties to additional operational and diplomatic considerations.”

On Tuesday, Israeli media reported that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir counseled eliminating the group of terrorists trapped in Rafah and only allowing them to live if they return Goldin’s body.

The Jerusalem Post confirmed that sources said Zamir would not block a deal to allow the terrorists to cross into Hamas-controlled portions of Gaza unharmed within that scenario.

At the time, Netanyahu was pushing for a deal where the Hamas forces would give up their weapons in exchange for safe passage.

However, after the prime minister was criticized by both coalition and opposition officials, he reversed his decision and turned against a deal.

Speaking with Kan News on Wednesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reiterated his conviction that the terrorists would have to be killed.

“We need to eliminate the 200 terrorists stuck in Rafah. We're close to killing them in the tunnels,” he said, arguing that Hamas had already agreed to hand over all hostage bodies under the ceasefire terms and implying there was no reason for further Israeli concessions.

“Under no circumstances will we pay with another 200 terrorists,” Smotrich said. “Returning them would be a betrayal of the fallen soldiers. I've been saying this to the prime minister, the chief of staff, and the defense minister, ‘don’t dare to do this’.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz released a statement that apparently also addressed this issue.

“Israel's policy in Gaza is clear: the IDF is acting to destroy the tunnels and eliminate Hamas terrorists without any restrictions within the yellow area under our control. The goal, alongside the return of all the hostages and the casualties, is to disarm Hamas of its weapons and demilitarize Gaza,” said Katz.