The Israeli military successfully rescued four hostages from Gaza on Saturday in a complex daytime operation.
The hostages, Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were kidnapped by Hamas militants during the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival, according to AFP.
The operation, carried out in the heart of a civilian neighborhood, faced intense fire both inside the buildings and during the exit from Gaza.
Despite these challenges, the Israeli forces managed to safely extract the hostages, who are were in “good medical condition”. An Israeli soldier was critically wounded during the mission.
Footage released by Israeli authorities shows an emotional reunion between Argamani and her father, and her subsequent phone call with President Isaac Herzog.
Other footage captured the arrival of Kozlov and Meir Jan in Israel, with beachgoers in Tel Aviv cheering the news of their rescue.
Israeli army spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, emphasised the determination to bring all hostages home.
“While under fire inside the buildings, under fire on the way out from Gaza, our forces rescued our hostages,” Hagari said in a televised statement.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant expressed joy over the successful rescue.
The October 7 attack by Hamas militants resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people in Israel, primarily civilians, and the taking of 251 hostages.
Israeli retaliatory bombardments and ground offensives have since killed 36,801 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
