Israel rescued alive early Monday morning two hostages who were held captive in a building in the heart of Rafahwhere some live 1.4 million displaced at the southern end of the Gaz Stripa, between intense bombings that killed dozens of Gazans.
The hostages are Argentinian-Israeli Fernando Simon Marman61 years old, and Norberto Luis Har70, brothers-in-law between them and both kidnapped along with other relatives in the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz, near the enclave, on October 7.
“Both are in good health and have been transferred to Sheba hospital for medical examination,” said a joint statement from the Army, Police and Shin Bet intelligence services, the three forces involved in the operation.
The diagnosis was later confirmed by the hospital medical staffwhere they were reunited with their families, including ex-hostages released in November. Fernando Marman and Luis Har were taken hostage along with Clara Marman, 62, Fernando’s sister and Luis’s partner; in addition to his sister, Gabriela Leimberg, 59, and her daughter, Mia Leimberg, 17.
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Both the Leimbergs and Clara Marman were released on November 28 as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement of one week, negotiated by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel, a week of truce that allowed the exchange of 105 hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Its about second successful hostage rescue achieved by Israel – after capturing soldier Ori Megidish alive at the end of October, when the ground operation began in the Gaza Strip – which gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arguments to maintain military pressure above Hamas negotiations to free the hostages.
“I salute our brave warriors for the bold action that led to the liberation. Only the continuation of the military pressureuntil complete victory, will result in liberation of all our kidnapped“said Netanyahu today.
In addition to the three hostages rescued alive – two today – and eleven bodies of kidnapped people who died in captivity, 110 have been freed by Hamas, 105 of them as part of the only truce agreement reached in November.
They remain within the Strip 130 hostages kidnapped on October 7, of which it is estimated that one thirty would be dead; in addition to four captives that Hamas had held for years in the enclave, which included two dead soldiers.
The president already announced this weekend his intention to expand ground offensive to Rafahon the border with Egypt where more than half of the enclave’s population is concentrated, although it promised to evacuate civilians first, given the concern of the international community about the “disastrous” repercussions that the incursion could have due to the overcrowding of evacuees .
The operation to free Marman and Har, who were in a home in the center of Rafah, was carried out in just over an hour, and included the deployment of numerous forces reinforcement and intense bombingin which dozens of people have died.
He Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that 67 dead had arrived at the Rafah hospitalalthough he estimated the number of bodies still trapped under the rubble at several dozen, meaning the deathly victims could exceed a hundred, according to medical sources and Hamas, which accused Israel of committing a massacre against unarmed civilians.
Army spokesman Daniel Hagari reported that “about 50 terrorists” died during the operation, for which the forces had been preparing for “a long time” waiting for the right conditions to arise, relying on valuable intelligence information.
“There was intense firepower from the air. Fire was opened from nearby buildings. There the Air Force attacked intensely. The armored corps covered the operation,” Hagari explained.
The forces “clandestinely” arrived at the target around 1 a.m. local time (23 GMT on Sunday) and carried out a “very complex action” until they reached the second floor of the building where the hostages were being held.
Troops broke into the building through a closed door and exchanged gunfire with gunmen in the building and others adjacent to it, while carrying the hostages out to armored vehicles.
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Israeli President Isaac Herzog also congratulated the forces on the nighttime operation in Rafah, invoking the words of medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides: “There is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives.”
For its part, the Forum of Families of Hostages and Missing Persons celebrated the rescue of the two captives, although it again warned Netanyahu that “time is running out for the hostages still held in the hands of Hamas,” while they press for their release. negotiate a new truce agreement that allows their release.