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, 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 were well, the military said. They were taken by helicopter for medical checks and reunions with loved ones after 246 days held. Argamani 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 released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies. An elated Argamani spoke by phone with Israeli 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 are freed. The operation was “daring in nature.
