“It’s not clear who is considered the enemy – if it’s the families [of the kidnapped soldiers] or the terror organization who holds the soldier hostage.”
By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News
A notorious terrorist was freed and returned to the Gaza Strip on Sunday after serving more than 20 years in an Israeli prison, sparking outrage from the family of an IDF soldier whose body was kidnapped by the man’s brother.
Hebrew-language media reported late Sunday evening that Yusuf Masoud, a senior member of Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, was released from incarceration to a hero’s welcome in Gaza.
Masoud was arrested in 2003 for firing rockets at Israelis communities in the coastal enclave, before the 2005 disengagement saw all Jewish residents evacuated from the Strip.
One of Masoud’s brothers, Yassin, was killed during clashes between the IDF and Hamas.
Another brother, Walid Masoud, was the head commander of a Hamas unit responsible for the 2014 operation in which IDF soldier Hadar Goldin was killed and his body taken hostage by the terrorists.
The terror cell successfully seized Goldin’s corpse and refuses to return it to his family for burial to this day, as they plan to leverage the body as a bartering chip in a future prisoner exchange.
Tzur Goldin, the brother of the late soldier, told Walla News that the family had not been informed in advance about Masoud’s release.
“No one spoke to us until now, no one bothered to update us. Until today, we are being brushed aside, and this reflects the Israeli attitude and treatment of the families of hostages,” he told Walla News.
In recent years, Goldin’s family has been vocal about their feelings that the Israeli government has treated them with contempt during their quest to return their loved one’s body for burial.
“It’s not clear who is considered the enemy – if it’s the families [of the kidnapped soldiers] or the terror organization who holds the soldier hostage,” Tzur Goldin said.
By releasing Masoud, he added, Israel is emboldening the terror organization.
“Hamas is the one who sets the prices, who defines the language, and we are playing into their hands,” he said
As a result, he said, “Either we pay a heavy price and free terrorists, or we destroy our mutual solidarity, a supreme value and interest, without which our society will be destroyed.
“There is a supreme principle that we don’t leave a soldier behind. If you want to change this, go ahead, but there is a supreme principle [at stake.]”