After four months of captivity and a daring overnight rescue operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), freed Israeli hostages Fernando Shimon Merman, 61, and Louis Herr, 70, are reunited with their families. When they reunited, there were tears of joy and a tight hug.
As Breitbart News reported, the IDF entered Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip overnight and rescued two hostages in fierce battles with Hamas terrorists.
The freed hostages were flown by helicopter to Israel where they were examined at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv.
IDF released additional photos of the happy reunion.
Additionally, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with members of the Israeli Defense Forces special forces tasked with the rescue efforts.
As many as 134 Israeli hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Dozens of people are already believed to have died.
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant Said He said on Monday that more hostage rescue operations were likely, but also warned that the number of hostages that could be rescued that way would likely be small and that diplomacy was preferable.
However, Hamas insists on ending the war before releasing more Israeli hostages, a demand it knows Israel cannot agree to and hopes that the US will prevent Israel from continuing fighting. This has led to speculation that he is trying to buy time by doing this.
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.
