A senior Hamas source told Al Jazeera on Saturday that another deceased hostage had been located in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip, claiming it is Lt. Hadar Goldin.
Israeli officials confirmed that the deceased hostage expected to be transferred is that of Lt. Goldin. However, full and conclusive identification will only be possible following a forensic examination.
Earlier in the day, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited the Goldin family home.
Goldin was captured and held by Hamas during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. According to the report, he is the only one believed to have remained in the Rafah area. The same Hamas official added that six bodies were recovered from the location where the remains were found.
Earlier, Arab media outlets reported that Hamas operatives, together with a Red Cross team, had been searching in southern Rafah for other deceased hostages. The search efforts come amid revelations that hundreds of Hamas terrorists have been trapped in tunnels across the Gaza Strip, including in areas under Israeli control, according to senior Israeli officials quoted by The Wall Street Journal.
The announcement comes shortly after the Prime Minister's Office confirmed that the deceased hostage returned to Israel overnight was Lior Rodief, following identification by the National Center of Forensic Medicine in coordination with the Israel Police and the IDF Military Rabbinate.
