Fernando Maman, 61, and Louis Har, 70, were among the 253 hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
New Delhi:
Israel announced on Monday that it had successfully rescued two hostages in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, sparking relief and reigniting concerns about an escalating humanitarian crisis in the region. The operation, a joint military operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Shin Bet and police, aimed to free Fernando Simon Mamman and Louis Haar from nearly 130 days in captivity by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Dramatic video footage released by the Israel Defense Forces showed the intensity of the rescue effort, which saw Israeli special forces come under fire in the southern Gaza city.
Fernando Marman, 61, and Louis Har, 70, were among 253 hostages kidnapped during Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October. The hostages were held in a second-floor apartment and guarded by three terrorists who were subdued by the Shin Bet security agency and the police’s elite Yamam counterterrorism unit.
“The hostages are in our hands, safe and sound”
🔴Watch the moment when hostages Fernando Simon Maman and Louis Hall were rescued during Operation Rafah yesterday: pic.twitter.com/1OXsHf9F9W
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 12, 2024
The successful rescue operation marked a rare positive development in Gaza’s devastating four-month war. However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned against relying solely on such a daring rescue operation to free the remaining 134 prisoners still being held in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Shayetet 13 commando unit escorted Maman and Hal to a makeshift helicopter pad to help them escape Gaza. The hostages were led out of the building on ropes to avoid detection on the street outside, according to a commander in Yamam’s elite unit. Times of Israel.
The operation, planned for weeks and responding to various contingencies, demonstrated the effectiveness of Israel’s military capabilities. Defense Secretary Galante declared the rescue a “turning point in the campaign” against Hamas.
“The military and the Shin Bet have been working on this operation for a long time… and they waited until conditions were right before carrying it out,” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari told a news conference.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported that “around 100” Palestinians, including children, were killed or injured in heavy overnight airstrikes. The already precarious humanitarian situation in the Rafah region has triggered widespread alarm among aid organizations and foreign governments. The Rafah area hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians seeking refuge from conflict further north.
US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging caution and stressing the need for a solid plan to ensure the safety of people taking refuge in Rafah. Qatar, Oman and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) join a growing number of countries expressing concerns about potential advances in Rafah.
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