The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday confirmed that three of the four hostages rescued in the recent raid were held at the house of a Gaza ‘journalist.’
Abdallah Aljamal, a Hamas terrorist, posed as a journalist and has written for several media outlets in the past, including Qatari state-owned Al Jazeera.
“Following the completion of [Israeli military and security agency Shin Bet] agency and ISA examinations of reports on the subject, it can be confirmed that Abdallah Aljamal was an operative in the Hamas terrorist organization, who held the hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv captive in his family home in Nuseirat,” the IDF disclosed Sunday.
“The hostages were held captive by Abdallah Aljamal and members of his family in their home,” the IDF statement added.
Despite having his profile on its website, Al Jazeera denied any links to the slain Hamas terrorist and captor. “He wrote one column for Al Jazeera in 2019, prompting rumors that he was a Gazan correspondent for the Qatari news outlet who had been detaining a hostage in his home — an unsubstantiated claim that the network stridently denied on Sunday. He has written for other news outlets since then,” The Times of Israel reported.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed more details and video footage of the military raid that rescued four Israeli hostages from Hamas captors in central Gaza.
A daring daylight raid by the IDF and Israeli security services on Saturday morning freed the hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv — all four kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The joint operation by the IDF and security services was spearheaded by Yamam counter-terrorism unit of Israel Border Police. Yamam Squad Commander, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora died from the wounds sustained during hostage rescue.
Saturday’s operation was reportedly the result of months of surveillance and intelligence gathering. The Times of Israel reported the details of the raid:
In the days leading up to the rescue, the police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit drilled various models of the extraction from central Gaza’s Nuseirat, which military officials said were “similar to the Entebbe raid” of 1976, when Israeli commandos rescued more than 100 hostages in Uganda.Also in the days before the mission, the military launched a new operation in eastern Bureij — to the east of Nuseirat — and in east Deir al-Balah — to the southeast of where the hostages were rescued — in an apparent feint to reduce Hamas’s defenses in Nuseirat.
The IDF in a press release revealed the details of the units of the military and security services involved in the operation:
Troops of the 98th Division are continuing operational activities in eastern Deir al Balah and eastern Bureij after taking part in the operation to rescue the four hostages over the past day. During the operation, the troops eliminated multiple terrorists, and dismantled terror infrastructure sites.IAF fighter jets and additional aircraft assisted the troops, striking numerous terror targets in the area, as well as armed terrorists who posed a threat to IDF troops.Troops of the 162nd Division are continuing intelligence-based, targeted operations in the Rafah area. During targeted raids, the troops located numerous additional terror tunnel shafts, mortars, and weapons in the area. During a targeted raid on a military structure, the troops located large quantities of weapons, including firearms, RPGs, explosive devices, cartridges, grenades, and additional military equipment.Troops of the 99th Division are continuing operational activities in central Gaza, dismantling terror infrastructure and eliminating terrorists. During one of the activities, a terrorist cell opened fire at IDF troops and was struck and eliminated by IAF aircraft.Over the past day, numerous mortar shells were launched from the area of the Islamic University in southern Gaza City at IDF troops operating in the area of the central Gaza corridor. No IDF injuries were reported. IDF aircraft struck and dismantled the launcher.Furthermore, IAF fighter jets and additional aircraft struck numerous terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including an Islamic Jihad tactical-level commander.
The hostage rescue mission was renamed “Operation Arnon” in honor of the fallen elite commando. “The Chief of the General Staff and the commander of the ‘Yamam’ Unit concluded that the operation would be called “Operation Arnon” in the IDF, in recognition of the unit’s performance throughout the war and the sacrifice of ‘Yamam’ Squad Commander, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora,” the military said in a press release Sunday.
The IDF released personal details of the fallen hero:
Arnon Zamora, 36, a brave and valuable officer, left behind a wife and two children. On October 7th, he led the battle at the Yad Mordechai Junction, eliminating dozens of terrorists and preventing the terrorists from infiltrating northwards. He then went on to fight in the battle at Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Be’eri. Arnon was part of the force that broke into the apartment where the hostages were being held, was severely injured during a battle, and later died in the hospital.
Arab media cited eyewitnesses claiming female soldiers were part of the hostage rescue team. Shortly ahead of the raid, the special forces appeared in the area dressed as Gazans, reports claim.
The Israeli news outlet Arutz Sheva reported Sunday:
Eyewitnesses to the rescue operation of four hostages on Saturday morning told the Saudi channel Asharq that the operation began when an undercover force disguised as displaced residents entered the Nuseirat refugee camp, from the direction of Netzarim Corridor at approximately 11 am.The undercover force, including male and female combat soldiers, came in a vehicle full of belongings similar to those the displaced residents in the Gaza Strip had and responded to the residents’ questions that they had escaped from Rafah and were looking to rent an apartment in the market area. (…)Eyewitnesses said that the operation began an hour later when a truck that rescued the hostages arrived and soldiers from other trucks in the area covered the force.The rescue operations lasted a little more than half an hour from the moment the forces broke into the buildings until the helicopters took off for Israel. The rescue time included, among others, the arrival of additional rescue vehicles after a truck carrying three of the hostages got stuck due to a problem with the gear.
Israeli hostage Noa Argamani was held in a home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Gaza reporter linked to Qatari state-run Al Jazeera broadcaster
The Israeli news website Arutz Sheva reported:
Noa Argamani, the 26-year-old Israeli woman who was rescued yesterday in a daring raid by the IDF after eight months as a hostage in Gaza, was held in the apartment of an Al Jazeera reporter, according to Open Source Intelligence Monitor.According to the report, Noa was held by Abdallah Aljamal, “a photojournalist and writer/editor for both Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Chronicle.The Palestinian Chronicle reported that Aljamal was one of the Gazans who was killed during the rescue, which it called the “Nuseirat massacre.” OSIM reported that Aljamal and several members of his family were killed while attempting to prevent the rescue.Noa was held in a separate apartment and a different building from Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv, and Almog Meir Jan, who were rescued at the same time.
Stunned by the rescue mission, Hamas release a video claiming three Israeli hostages, including a U.S. national, were killed in the IDF raid. In the past Hamas has murdered or claimed death of hostages as an act of revenge against Israeli operations to free the captives.
The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday:
The Hamas armed wing announced on Sunday that three Israeli hostages were killed, including a US citizen, during the Israel hostage freeing operation in Gaza on Saturday.”In exchange for them [the four Israeli hostages], your own army killed three of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds a US citizenship,” the Hamas statement said. (…)A video was created by the terrorist organization with text stating that “your Israeli government killed a number of your captives in order to save the other captives.”
A day after the daring mission, the IDF continued operations in Rafah and central Gaza.
“The IDF’s 98th Division launched an offensive last week in east Bureij and east Deir al-Balah — east and southeast of Nuseirat, where the rescue operation took place,” The Times of Israel reported Sunday. “Meanwhile, operations also continue in southern Gaza’s Rafah, where the IDF says troops of the 162nd Division located several tunnel shafts, mortar launchers, and other weapons over the past day.”
The Israel Air Force (IAF) was playing a crucial role in destroying Hamas’s terrorist capabilities. “IAF fighter jets and additional aircraft assisted the troops, striking numerous terror targets in the area, as well as armed terrorists who posed a threat to IDF troops,” the IDF disclosed Sunday.
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