Hundreds of Israelis lined roads to mourn the return of Meny Godard, a beloved community veteran and former footballer, whose body was the last delivered by Hamas to authorities.
Crowds carrying Israeli flags gathered along the route as Godard’s police-escorted coffin traveled towards a forensic medicine institute in Tel Aviv. His repatriation marked a poignant moment for the nation.
His children described him as “a person with a heart of gold,” according to the ‘Times of Israel’ newspaper. Kibbutz Be’eri, where he resided, remembered Godard as someone who “loved sports, the sea, people.”
Godard was a footballer in the 1970s before enlisting in the army. He later fought in the Yom Kippur War.
After his military service, he settled in Kibbutz Be’eri. There, he held various positions, including working in a printing house, a shop, as an economist, and a lifeguard.