By In a daring operation, the Israeli military, intelligence, and special forces rescued four hostages from two separate locations in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday. The rescued individuals, identified as Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, were among those kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7 by Hamas militants.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the hostages are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations. However, the rescue operation came at a heavy cost, with Gazan authorities reporting that at least 210 people were killed and more than 400 others injured as a result of the Israeli military action.
An Israeli policeman from a special counter-terrorism unit lost his life during the rescue mission, according to Israeli police. The operation took place amidst heavy shelling and artillery fire in Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza, as reported by the Israeli military.
Eyewitnesses in Nuseirat described the scene as a “crazy bombardment” and “hell on earth,” with children torn apart and scattered in the streets. Nidal Abdo, a local resident, recounted the horrific aftermath of the strike, while another witness, Abu Abdallah, claimed that the attack occurred while people were sleeping, leaving behind a gruesome scene of destruction.
Hamas denounced the operation as a “heinous crime” and accused the Israeli military of committing a “horrific massacre against innocent civilians” in a press release on Saturday.
The successful rescue of the four hostages marks the third such operation, following the rescue of IDF Corporal Ori Megidish from the northern Gaza Strip in October last year and the rescue of Fernando Marman and Louis Har from southern Rafah on February 12 this year.
Noa Argamani, one of the rescued hostages, had become a symbol of the October 7 attacks after a video surfaced showing her pleading for help as Hamas fighters kidnapped her and her boyfriend, Avinatan Or. Argamani’s mother, Liora, who is battling late-stage brain cancer, had made a desperate plea to see her daughter one last time in a video released last November.
The other rescued hostages include Almog Meir Jan, 22, from Or Yehuda; Shlomi Ziv, 41, a security guard at the Nova festival; and Andrey Kozlov, 27, a Russian citizen who moved to Israel a year ago and was also working as a security guard at the festival.
Following Saturday’s rescue operation, the total number of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip from the October 7 attacks stands at 116, with at least 41 confirmed dead. The Israeli military campaign in Gaza continues, with the primary goal of rescuing the remaining hostages.
As the situation in Gaza remains volatile, the international community has called for restraint and the protection of civilians caught in the crossfire. The devastating loss of life and the ongoing hostage crisis underscore the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Credit: CNN
