Israel rescued alive two captured hostages in Rafah

Israel rescued alive early Monday morning two hostages who were trapped in a building in the heart Rafahwhere some 1.4 million displaced people live in the southern end of the Gaza Strip, amid intense bombardment that has killed dozens of Gazans.

They are hostages Argentine-Israeli Fernando Simón Marman, 61, and Norberto Luis Har, 70brother-in-law between them and both were kidnapped along with other relatives in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, near the enclave, on October 7.

“Both are in good health and have been taken to Sheba Hospital for medical examination,” said a joint statement from the military, police and Shin Bet intelligence services, the three forces involved in the operation.

The diagnosis was later confirmed by the hospital’s medical staff, where they were reunited with their families, including the former hostages freed in November. Fernando Marman and Luis Har were taken hostage along with Clara Marman, 62, Fernando’s sister and Luis’ partner; except for his sister Gabriela Leimberg (59) and her daughter Mia Leimberg (17).

Both the Leimbergs and Clara Marman were released on November 28 as part of a temporary one-week ceasefire agreement brokered Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel, a week of truce that allowed exchanges 105 hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners.

This is the second successful hostage rescue that Israel has managed – after capturing the soldier alive Ori Megidish at the end of October, when the ground operation in the Gaza Strip began – which gives the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahuarguments for maintaining military pressure over Hamas negotiations for the release of the hostages.

“I salute our brave warriors for the courageous action that led to liberation. Only continued military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our hostages,” Netanyahu said today.

In addition to 3 hostages rescued alive – two today – and 11 bodies of kidnapped people who died in captivity, Hamas released 110 of them, 105 of them as part of the only ceasefire agreement reached in November.

They remain within the Strip 130 hostages kidnapped on October 7of which it is estimated that one thirty would be dead; along with four prisoners that Hamas kept in the enclave for years, including two dead soldiers.

The president already this weekend announced his intention to expand the ground offensive to Rafah, on the border with Egypt where more than half of the enclave’s population is concentrated, although he promised to evacuate civilians first, given community concerns. “catastrophic” consequences that the invasion could have due to the overcrowding of the evacuees.

The operation to free Marman and Har, who were in a house in the center of Rafah, was carried out in just over an hour, and included the deployment of numerous reinforcements and heavy bombardment, in which dozens of people died.

He The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed that 67 dead have arrived at the hospital in Rafahalthough he put the number of bodies still trapped under the rubble at several dozen, meaning the death toll could exceed a hundred, according to medical sources and Hamas, which has accused Israel of carrying out a massacre of unarmed civilians.

Army spokesman Daniel Hagarireported that “around 50 terrorists” were killed during the operation, for which the forces had been preparing “for a long time” while waiting for favorable conditions, relying on valuable intelligence information.

“There was intense aerial firepower. Fire was opened from nearby buildings. There, the air force attacked intensively. The armored corps covered the operation,” explained Hagari.

The forces “secretly” arrived at the target around 1am local time (23 GMT Sunday) and conducted a “very complex operation” until they reached the second floor of the building where the hostages were being held.

Soldiers broke into the building through a closed door and exchanged fire with gunmen inside the building and others near it, while taking the hostages to armored vehicles.

President of Israel Isaac Herzoghe also congratulated the forces on the night operation in Rafah, citing the words of the medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides: “there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of a captive.”

On its part, Forum of families of hostages and missing persons he celebrated the rescue of the two prisoners, although he again warned Netanyahu that “time is running out for the hostages still held by Hamas” as they press for a new ceasefire deal to be negotiated to allow their release.