The Israel Defense Forces have managed to rescue 4 hostages kidnapped since October 7 in the largest operation of its kind since the war began. Noa Argamani (26 years old), Shlomi Ziv (40), Almog Meir (21) and Andrey Kozlov (27) They were kidnapped by Hamas during the attack on the Nova music festival, one of the largest massacres committed by the terrorist group that fateful day. At that party alone, it is estimated that more than 300 people were killed and 40 taken hostage.
The rescue operation was carried out in broad daylight in the Gazan city of Nuseirat and it involved agents from the police’s elite Yamam anti-terrorist unit and members of the Shin Bet, who simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings in the town, located in central Gaza.
According to an IDF statement, hundreds of soldiers participated in the operation, noting that the hostages were rescued by special forces while they were “under fire”. A Yamam officer, Arnon Zamora, was seriously injured in the operation and later died in an Israeli hospital.
During the ground operation, intense air attacks were also carried out in the area against Hamas targets and in support of ground troops. Health authorities in Gaza, controlled by the terrorist group, reported that at least 50 Palestinians were killed, without indicating how many of them were combatants.
The rescued hostages, who had been held captive in Gaza for eight months, They were in good condition, according to the first medical evaluations. The four were flown by helicopter from the Palestinian enclave to hospitals in Israel for a more complete evaluation.
Nuseirat is one of the few areas of Gaza where ground troops had not yet operated during the Israeli offensive against Hamas. Army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari noted that the rescue had been underway for “many weeks,” with “quality intelligence and complex operational planning.”
This is the third successful operation of this type since October 7. The first was the rescue of soldier Ori Megidish at the end of October. In early December the IDF tried to rescue another hostage, but she died. Later in February, hostages Fernando Marman, 61, and Louis Har, 70, were rescued from Rafah in southern Gaza.
As pointed out The Times of Israelall hostages rescued by the IDF from Gaza, including the last four, They were rescued from buildings and not from tunnels.
The four rescued include Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped by several men on a motorcycle from the festival to Gaza, as a video from that morning shows. The 27-year-old later appeared in Hamas propaganda videos.
Argamani’s case has especially shocked Israeli society since her mother, suffering from cancer, has asked on several occasions for her release to be able to see her at least one more time.
After this latest rescue, it is estimated that some 116 hostages remain in Gaza, although not all of them are alive.
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