Israel on Saturday carried out its largest hostage rescue operation since the war with Hamas began, taking four to safety out of central Gaza as heavy fighting continued there. At least 94 dead Palestinians, including children, were brought to local hospitals, a health official said.
Israelis were jubilant as the army said it rescued Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan (pictured), 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, in a daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat, raiding two locations at once and under fire. All was well, the military said. They were taken by helicopter for medical checks and reunions with loved ones after 246 days.
Argamani (inset) had been one of the most widely recognized hostages after being taken, like the three others, from a music festival. The video of her abduction was among the first to surface, with her between two men on a motorcycle as she screamed, “Don’t kill me!” Her mother, Liora, has stage four brain cancer, and in April she released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies.
An elated Argamani spoke, and dozens of bodies were made official. The official, who was on the phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, In a video message released by the government, she tells him she is “very excited,” saying she hasn’t heard Hebrew in so long.
Netanyahu, in a statement, said, “Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with creativity and boldness that knows no bounds to bring home our abductees.” He vowed to continue the fighting until all were freed. The operation was “daring in nature, planned brilliantly, and executed in an extraordinary fashion,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said.
The bodies of nearly 100 Palestinians killed were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where spokesperson Khalil Degran told The Associated Press more than 100 wounded also arrived. AP reporters saw dozens of bodies brought from the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah areas as smoke rose in the distance and armored vehicles rolled by.
A baby was among the dead. Small children wailed. covered in blood. Bodies were placed on the ground outside, their feet bare, as more wounded were rushed in.”My two cousins were killed, and two other cousins were seriously injured. They did not commit any sins. They were sitting at home,” one relative said in the chaos.
Israel’s military said it had attacked “threats to our forces in the area.” The military said one commando died from his wounds. A U.S. hostage cell provided advice and support throughout the process of locating and rescuing the hostages. According to the Biden administration, which was not authorized to comment and requested anonymity, it declined to offer further detail on the American involvement. The hostage cells are multi-agency teams.