Marwan al-Hams, a senior official in the Hamas-run Health Ministry who was arrested in July, knew where the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin were being held, the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) confirmed Thursday night.
"Hams was involved in the determination of Lt. Hadar Goldin's death," the statement explained, " and was suspected of knowing the location of his burial in the 'White-Crowned' tunnel in Rafah.
"The apprehension operation was part of dozens of confidential operations conducted in the past six months and was part of a broader effort by the IDF and Shin Bet to retrieve Lt. Hadar Goldin and return him for burial in Israel."
Goldin's remains were returned by Hamas to Israel with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as an intermediary earlier this month as part of US President Donald Trump's Gaza deal.
Among the soldiers in the honor guard receiving Goldin’s coffin were reservists who served alongside him in 2014, the military confirmed.
IDF detains Marwan al-Hams outside Rafah field hospital
Hams was detained by Israeli security forces outside of an ICRC field hospital in the southern Gaza Strip in July. Gaza's Health Ministry released a statement shortly after, claiming an Israeli force had “abducted” him after opening fire, killing one person and wounding another civilian nearby.
At the time, multiple IDF sources declined to address the reports.
A spokesman for the ICRC told The Jerusalem Post in July that some of its personnel had witnessed the arrest and the shootings and had provided medical care to some of those shot afterward.
However, the ICRC did not have more specific information about Hams before and after the incident.
Yonah Jeremy Bob and James Genn contributed to this report.