Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on October 7 have been rescued in a daylight raid in central Gaza, as numerous Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the same area.
Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed during a “high-risk, complex mission” from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The IDF reported that the released hostages were all in good health and were later seen embracing family members at a medical center near Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians, including children, were killed on Saturday in the same area where the operation took place.
Two hospitals in Gaza, al-Aqsa hospital and al-Awda hospital, reported counting 70 bodies between them, while Hamas’s government media office stated that at least 210 people had been killed.
Earlier, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari mentioned that Cogat, the Israeli defense ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, estimated there had been fewer than 100 casualties.
‘Precise intelligence’
The uncommon rescue of hostages, a collaborative effort involving the IDF, Israel Security Agency, and Israel Police, occurred eight months into the conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
According to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari, the mission relied on “accurate” intelligence, and Israeli forces encountered gunfire during the operation.
Israel police reported that one special forces officer was injured during the hostage rescue in Gaza and subsequently succumbed to injuries in the hospital.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended Israeli forces for their “innovative and courageous” operation.
“We will not let up until we complete the mission and return home all the hostages – both those alive and dead,” he added.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said special forces operated “under heavy fire” when rescuing the four hostages.
“This is one of the most heroic and extraordinary operations I have witnessed over the course of 47 years serving in Israel’s defence establishment,” Mr Gallant said.
Miss Argamani, an Israeli citizen born in China, was abducted from the Nova festival. Distressing footage from October 7 depicted the 26-year-old being taken away on a motorcycle, screaming, “Don’t kill me!”
Subsequent video showed her reuniting with her father, smiling and embracing him aboard a vehicle, shortly after news of the rescue operation emerged on Saturday.
Mr. Kozlov, a Russian immigrant to Israel in 2022, and Mr. Ziv were both employed as security guards at the festival when they were abducted.
Mr. Jan was scheduled to begin a new job at a major tech company the day after his kidnapping.
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, representing the hostages’ families, hailed the rescue as “a miraculous triumph” and expressed gratitude to the IDF for the “heroic operation.”
The group added: “The Israeli government must remember its commitment to bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas — the living for rehabilitation, the murdered for burial.”