The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rescued two Israeli hostages in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah on Sunday, sparking elation in Israel and raising hopes for more hostage rescues.
In a joint statement, the IDF, Israel Security Agency (ISA), and Israeli Police said:
Two Israeli hostages, Fernand Simon Mallman, 60, and Louis Haar, 70, abducted by the terrorist organization Hamas during an overnight joint operation in Rafah by the Israel Defense Forces, ISA, and Israeli police. It was announced that a man (years old) had been rescued. October 7th, from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak.
Both patients were in good health and were taken to Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital for medical examination.
Security forces will continue the operation using all means necessary to return the hostages.
According to online biography, Mr. Haar is from Argentina. His release came after Argentine President Javier Millei visited families of Argentine-Israeli hostages and survivors of the October 7 terrorist attack last week.
According to Israeli Army Radio, the hostages were rescued from inside or underground in a “refugee” camp in Rafah. Rafah is a town on the border with Egypt and the last stronghold of Hamas, with four battalions believed to be hiding within the city.
Earlier on Sunday, President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas in Rafah would remain closed until there was a credible plan to evacuate the roughly 1 million Palestinian civilians who had been evacuated from elsewhere in the Gaza Strip. warned not to attack.
A number of other countries are also trying to appeal to Israel not to attack Hamas in Rafah, ostensibly because of the potential humanitarian crisis or possible flight of Palestinians to Egypt. Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered an evacuation and a plan of attack.
The two hostages were the first rescued by the Israel Defense Forces since October, when female soldier Oli Megidish was rescued. In December, three hostages escaped from Hamas captivity and were accidentally killed while trying to cross Israeli lines during the fighting.
update: Israeli Army Radio reported that hostages were rescued from the building in an operation involving both ground forces and airstrikes, and that several terrorists were killed in the fighting. After rescuing the hostages, the Israeli Air Force attacked the target building.
era of israel report:
When asked about their first impressions, [Har’s son-in-law Idan] “Both of them are sleeping in the hospital,” Beherano said. “It’s hard to know, but they look perfect. It’s still hard to know if they’re mentally and physically healthy. But they… is perfectly visible.”
“For the last 128 days, it seems like they had a strong spirit and were able to come back to us.”
He points out that neither is young, with Herr turning 71 in a few weeks and Mirman celebrating his 61st birthday in captivity.
There are 134 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, dozens of whom are believed to have died.
According to local Jewish religious leaders in New York, members of the Herr and Malman families visited At Ohel, the burial site of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schnierson, prayers were offered last week for the release of his relatives.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagali posted a video and photos of the arrival of the hostages in Israel.
Numbers (60) Numerical value (70) Numerical value (70) Numerical value ו על ידי חמאס לרצועת עזה מניר יצחק ב- 7/10.
और देखें Oh. pic.twitter.com/S4GGCEhh8r
— Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) February 12, 2024
era of israel Quote Hagari:
“The IDF and Shin Bet have been working on this operation for a long time,” he says.
…
The troops secretly arrived at the target around 1 a.m. and carried out a very complex operation inside the compound and on the second floor, where the hostages were being held. ”
…
He said the troops then entered the building through a locked door, engaged in a gunfight with the gunmen inside the building and an adjacent building, and removed the hostages in an armored vehicle.
Hagari said the rescue took an hour.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. He is the author of the recent book, The Zionist Conspiracy (And How to Participate in It), now available on Audible. He is also the author of an e-book. Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 US Presidential Election. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
