The Israeli military’s mission to rescue four hostages was a rare operation that required weeks of planning and was given the final go-ahead minutes before it was to begin on Saturday morning, according to Israeli officials.
Israel’s special forces, backed by the military, intelligence and air force, raided two buildings several hundred feet apart in a civilian neighborhood in Nuseirat in central Gaza. They brought home four hostages — Noah Argamani, 26. Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41 — alive and well. A policeman, part of the force that led the raid, was killed.
Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were killed during the rescue operation, according to local Gaza health officials. The Israeli military said it had targeted militants who had threatened its forces as they tried to capture the hostages. Neither the Israeli military nor Palestinian health officials provided a breakdown of the civilians and fighters killed in the raid.
Israeli troops have swept through much of Gaza since their ground invasion began in late October. But they managed to rescue only seven hostages alive in three separate military operations, with around 120 captives remaining in Gaza. Many proposed rescue missions did not proceed for fear that the hostages or forces would die in the process, according to two Israeli defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation.
In December, Israeli special forces tried to rescue a hostage from Hamas captivity, according to the two defense officials. Sahar Baruch, an Israeli hostage, was killed in the exchange of fire and two Israeli officers were seriously wounded.
According to one of the defense officials, Israeli intelligence first learned that Ms. Arghamani was being held in an above-ground building near the Nuseirat market area. More information received later indicated that three other hostages were in another building in the same section, the official added.
Vice Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s military spokesman, said Israeli officers had worked for weeks to gather the pieces needed for the mission. Israeli soldiers trained intensively on models of the buildings where the hostages were believed to be held, he added.
“This was a mission in the heart of a civilian neighborhood, where Hamas had deliberately hidden between houses where there were civilians and armed fighters guarding the hostages,” Admiral Haggari said. “And we must act in a way that brings these hostages home alive.”
Over the past three weeks, there have been several occasions when the operation looked possible, but all attempts were called off before Israeli forces launched the mission, the two Israeli defense officials said.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galand, Israel’s defense minister, met again with senior defense officials to discuss the risks of the operation and possible scenarios, said a third Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. anonymity.
The country’s leaders gave the green light for the rescue mission that night, the official said. But there was still a chance it could be canceled at the last minute, Admiral Hagari said.
On Saturday morning, Herzi Halevi, the army’s chief of staff, and Ronen Bar, the director of Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency, both gave the final green light minutes before the operation began around 11 a.m., he said. Admiral Hagari.
He added that they chose to move in daylight, hitting the two buildings in Nuseirat, in an attempt to catch Hamas off guard, as the armed group would have expected such an operation to take place at night.
The raid began simultaneously in both buildings, where the hostages were in locked rooms surrounded by armed guards, Admiral Hagari said. In one building – where Ms Argamani was being held – officers managed to surprise the Hamas captors, he said. In the other, Israeli forces engaged in a pitched battle before reaching the remaining three hostages, he added.
As they retrieved the prisoners, officers radioed that “the diamonds are in our hands,” using a code word, Admiral Hagari said.
They came out of the buildings with Hamas fighters shooting at them and firing rockets, Admiral Haggari said. Officers shielded the hostages with their bodies to try to protect them and Israeli jets struck in and around the area, targeting the militants, he added.
Khalil Daqran, a local official at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, told reporters that many Palestinians were killed and wounded during raids near the Nuseirat market, which he said was packed with passers-by.
Admiral Hagari said he was told the army was aware of Palestinian casualties resulting from the operation and could not confirm how many were fighters. He added that Hamas tried to fire on Israeli forces behind civilians.
He added that “the cynical way in which Hamas uses the population and to shoot at our forces” was “tragic”.
The hostages were taken by car to two waiting helicopters, Admiral Hagari said. One carried Ms. Argamani, and the special forces officers. The second carried the three remaining hostages and a wounded police commander, who would later die of his injuries.
Around 1:30 p.m., the Israeli government announced that the four hostages were home.
