The report on the discovery of Lt. Hadar Goldin, the longest-held deceased hostage in Gaza, is deeply emotional and symbolic. Eleven years and three months after he fell in battle in Rafah and was taken by Hamas, it now appears he may finally be coming home to his parents, Leah and Simcha Goldin, who have led an inspiring public campaign for his return.
During the current war, the IDF and the Shin Bet security agency made extraordinary efforts to locate Goldin, but without success. It now seems that Hamas has decided to return him, in an effort to aid roughly 200 of its members trapped in Rafah's tunnels beneath Israeli-controlled territory.
The terrorist organization—through Qatar and Turkey, and via them to the United States—exerted heavy pressure on Israel, hinting that returning Goldin could help bring about a broader deal. Israel denied any connection between the issues, and the coming days will show who holds more sway: the messianic faction within Israel's governing coalition, or President Donald Trump.
Goldin's name joins that of Lior Rudaeff, an ambulance driver and member of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak's emergency response team, who was killed in battle on October 7, abducted to Gaza, and returned yesterday. Rudaeff was held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, which according to all assessments still holds the body of another fallen Israeli soldier.
Senior officials expressed concern over the weekend that it may no longer be possible to locate additional hostages. Hamas will be required to prove that it made every effort to find them, and if Israel is convinced, the US hopes to move ahead to the second phase of the agreement. Israel is also demanding that Hamas cease operating east of the "yellow line," in territory under IDF control.
In recent days, there have been several incidents between IDF troops and armed Palestinians who violated the ceasefire and endangered the truce. Alongside the focus on Gaza, Israel must also pay close attention to developments in southern Lebanon. The pace of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah targets—including personnel, weapons depots, and other sites, has recently intensified.
Israel is increasingly concerned by Hezbollah's efforts, backed by accelerated military and financial aid from Iran, to reestablish itself in southern Lebanon. The IDF's operations also reflect growing frustration with the Lebanese army's continued inaction in implementing Beirut's stated decision to disarm Hezbollah. Israel appears intent on signaling to Lebanon, and to American and French mediators, that its patience is running out. If Lebanon does not act, Israel will have no choice but to do so itself.
That frustration underpins recent warnings by senior Israeli officials that if the current trend continues, the IDF may soon have to launch another intensive round of fighting in Lebanon. The Israeli government's growing exasperation over Lebanon's passivity is shared by the Trump administration in Washington, which had hoped that Beirut would eventually join the Abraham Accords. For now, the administration must settle for adding Kazakhstan, whose ties with Israel have been open and stable for more than three decades, to the expanding circle of peace.
Meanwhile, various sources claim that in recent days talks with Saudi Arabia have accelerated in an effort to narrow the gaps between Riyadh and Jerusalem, though it appears that stabilizing the calm in Gaza will first be necessary as part of the move to phase two of the deal.
