IDF rescues 4 Israeli hostages kidnapped from music festival, held in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces, in collaboration with the Israel Security Agency and Israel Police, successfully extracted four Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity on Saturday. The military operation, which involved simultaneous raids at two separate locations, secured the release of the captives, who are now reported to be in good medical condition.
The hostages — Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrei Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40 — were kidnapped on Oct. 7 during the Supernova music festival near Re’im, Israel, and held in the Nuseirat region of central Gaza.
IDF forces' meticulously planned rescue mission early Saturday resulted in the safe retrieval of Argamani from one location and Meir Jan, Kozlov and Ziv from another, the IDF declared in a post on the social media platform X. Following the rescue, all individuals were transported to the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for comprehensive medical evaluations.
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This high-risk operation was carried out under heavy cover of airstrikes, which supported the ground troops by targeting Hamas sites in the vicinity, The Times of Israel said. The airstrikes and the ground operation resulted in a significant number of casualties among the Hamas ranks, according to IDF statements.
Following the rescue, both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog spoke with Argamani, who was transported separately from the other hostages, The Wall Street Journal reported. Netanyahu reportedly reassured her, saying, “Not for a moment did we give up on you,” while Herzog expressed his emotion during the call, stating, “It just brings tears to my eyes.”
Argamani, a university student, had been abducted from the festival with her boyfriend, who remains captive in Gaza. Her mother, originally from China and now battling terminal brain cancer, had made heartfelt appeals to be reunited with her daughter.
In the military operation, Israel successfully liberated more hostages than it had in all previous rescue efforts combined over the past eight months, raising the total number of hostages freed through military action to seven, the Journal noted.
The newspaper, however, added that the operation disrupted ongoing cease-fire talks that aim to free the remaining 116 hostages and, for Hamas, the release of a number of Palestinians serving time in prison. The successful military operation provided a substantial boost to Netanyahu’s standing amid political tensions and an expected resignation from his chief rival, Benny Gantz.
"Israeli forces have been preparing for his rescue mission for weeks. They underwent intensive training. They risked their lives to save the lives of our hostages. This is what we do in Israel," said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesperson, at a press conference. "When we are happy, and our four hostages are home, we will not lose sight that 120 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza — men, women, children. We will not stop fighting for their freedom."
Hagari acknowledged the dense urban setting of the raid led to a high number of Palestinian casualties, reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry to include 210 deaths and over 400 injuries.
Hagari, however, said about 100 Palestinians were killed or injured, with some identified as militants.
The U.S. was involved indirectly in the rescue operation, providing intelligence and logistical support, though no American forces were reported on the ground.
At a joint press conference Saturday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Joe Biden affirmed continued U.S. commitment to securing a cease-fire and the safe release of all hostages.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Qatar beginning Monday.
