The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday morning rescued four Israeli hostages from Hamas captors in central Gaza.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari identified the freed hostages as Noa Argamani , Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv — all kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The hostages were rescued from two different locations from central Gaza. “Special forces simultaneously raid two Hamas buildings in Nuseirat,” reaching hostages, The Times of Israel reports. “Officers of [Israeli] police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, along with Shin Bet agents, simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings in the heart of central Gaza’s Nuseirat, a [the IDF, security forces] joint statement said. Argamani was rescued at one site, while Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were at the second location.”
One soldiers from the border police’s special forces was killed while rescuing the hostages. “Arnon Zmora a fighter in the Border Police special anti-terrorism unit Yama, who was critically injured in the special operation to free four hostages from captivity in Gaza, has succumbed to his wounds,” the Israeli news website YNET reported
“This morning (Saturday), in a joint IDF, ISA and Israel Police (Yamam) complex, special, daytime operation in Nuseirat, four Israeli hostages were rescued. Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), were kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization from the ‘Nova’ music festival on October 7th.” the IDF announced Saturday morning. “The hostages were rescued by the IDF, ISA and ‘Yamam’ forces from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat.”
“They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,” the military confirmed.
The news website YNET reported the details of the IDF rescue operation and the background of the hostages:
Four Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas were freed on Saturday from the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza in a daring IDF operation.The four, kidnapped from the Nova festival during the October 7 massacre, are Noa Argamani, 25, Andrey Kozlov, 27, Almog Meir Jan, 21, and Shlomi Ziv, 40. All are reported to be in good health and have been transferred to Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv for further examination.The IDF described the extraction as a complex operation involving ground, air and naval forces. Palestinians reported an IDF strike on Nuseirat and the neighboring Deir al-Balah camp, where at least 15 people were killed and more wounded. (…)Following the October 7 terrorist attack, Argamani became a symbol of Hamas’ brutality after a video documenting her abduction from the Nova music festival site and her capture alongside her partner Avinatan Or went viral. The clip showed Argamani being forcibly taken on a motorcycle, weeping and screaming, while her partner was roughly handled by terrorists.Noa’s mother Liora is battling brain cancer and her condition has deteriorated in recent months. Last November, she made a video plea to U.S. President Joe Biden and the Red Cross, asking them to bring her daughter home.”I am Liora Argamani. Noa Argamani’s mother, the beautiful girl kidnapped on October 7 by Hamas to Gaza,” she says in the video.“I have cancer. Brain cancer. I don’t know how long I have left. I wish for the chance to see my Noa, at home. I call upon President Biden and the Red Cross to bring back my Noa as soon as possible so that I get the chance to see her.”Kozlov, who worked as a security guard at the festival, immigrated from Russia on his own. His family was only informed of his captivity three weeks after his abduction. He had managed to notify friends that terrorists had infiltrated the festival and that he had no means of escape.Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the rescue as a heroic operation. “I followed the operation from the command center. The IDF forces, Shin Bet and special Border Police anti-terror unit Yamam acted valiantly under heavy fire and succeeded in their mission. The security forces will continue to fight for the return of the remaining 120 captives,” he said.
Ahead of the rescue mission, the military carried out ‘intensive’ raid on Hamas terror targets in central Gaza’s Nuseirat area where the hostages were being held. “IDF conducts ‘intensive’ raid on Hamas facilities in Nuseirat,” the Israeli TV channel i24NEWS reported Saturday.
Ahead of the Saturday’s rescue mission, the IDF on Thursday conducted an air strike as a United Nations-run ‘school’ operating as a Hamas terror commander center in the area where the hostages were later found.
The IDF on Friday identified seventeen terrorists killed in the strike on the Hamas-controlled school. The media outlets like the CNN and Al Jazeera framed the airstrike as Israel targeting Gaza civilians.
Israeli broadcaster Arutz Sheva reported:
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced on Friday that, over the past day, the IDF Intelligence Directorate and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) confirmed the identities of eight additional terrorists who were eliminated in a precise strike on their base of operations in an UNRWA school in Nuseirat on Thursday morning.One of the eliminated terrorists took part in the October 7 attacks.“Since the targeted strike the IDF has confirmed the identity of 17 terrorists that were operating from the school. The investigation is ongoing,” the IDF said.On Thursday, IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari revealed the identities of the other nine Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who were killed in the IAF strike on the UNRWA school in Nuseirat, noting the terrorists were planning more attacks against Israelis and that the strike “stopped a ticking time-bomb.”https://twitter.com/MorHogeg/status/1799390723256856711
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