Saturday, 21 September 2024

Israeli Special Forces Rescue 4 Hostages In Raids On 2 Hamas Locations


TOPSHOT - Israeli hostage Andrei Kozlov, 27, disembarks with soldiers from an air force CH-53 Sea Stallion military helicopter which landed in the grounds of the Sheba Medical Center, after his rescue by the Israeli army from captivity in the Gaza Strip, in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv on June 8, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas. The Israeli military said its troops had rescued four Israeli hostages alive from Gaza after a GIDEON MARKOWICZ/AFP via Getty Images

Four Israeli hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists from the Supernova music festival on October 7 were rescued by the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday morning.

Israeli special forces on the ground were supported by airstrikes as they raided two Hamas locations in central Gaza, rescuing three Israelis at one location and finding the fourth hostage at the second location, The Times of Israel reported. The hostages have been identified as Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40. All four hostages are in good condition, according to the IDF.

“They are back home in Israel. They are alive; they are well,” said IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “They will undergo medical examination and will soon be reunited with their families in the hospital.”

The mission marks the most successful hostage rescue operation for the IDF since Hamas captured at least 250 people from Israel during its October 7 terrorist attack. In February, the IDF rescued two Israeli hostages — Fernando Marman, 61, and Louis Har, 71 — who were being held by Hamas in Rafah.

The rescue mission had been planned by the IDF for weeks, according to Hagari, who added that during the rescue operation, Israeli forces were under fire from Hamas while in the buildings and on their way out of Gaza with the hostages.

“They risked their lives to save the lives of our hostages. This is what we do in Israel,” he said.

Hagari added that the IDF will continue to fight to rescue the 120 hostages who still remain in Gaza, which include men, women, and children.

Argamani’s abduction was filmed by Palestinian civilians, and the video went viral around the world, showing the 25-year-old woman being driven away on the back of a motorcycle as she called out for help. NBC News reported that it had “uncovered information indicating she may not have been kidnapped by Hamas, but was instead most likely abducted by a mob of Gazans that swept into Israel hours after the initial attack.”

The young woman was one of the subjects of two other videos released by Hamas that teased her “fate” as terrorists claimed to show the dead bodies of two other terrorists.

Hamas has killed 60 hostages since its October 7 attack, according to Israel. Only 19 of the bodies have been brought back to Israel from Gaza.


Source link