Israeli forces have successfully rescued two Israeli hostages held in the Gaza city of Rafah, officials announced early Monday.
In a joint operation carried out overnight by the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Securities Authority and Israeli police rescued Fernand Merman, 60, and Louis Ha, 70, and took them by helicopter to Sheba Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel. I was evacuated. Both are said to be in good health.
Murman and Har were abducted by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, the same day Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
Security forces said they would continue efforts to bring the hostages home.
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Two Israeli hostages held in the Gaza city of Rafah were freed in a successful rescue operation by Israeli forces early Monday morning. (IDF)
According to the IDF, units from the IDF Navy Seals, Shin Bet Special Operations Forces and the Israeli Police Anti-Terrorism Unit arrived at the Rafah building to carry out the rescue operation. The surgery took place around 1 a.m. local time.
An Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson told reporters at a briefing that troops managed to secretly reach the building, enter the second floor, blow up an apartment door with explosives, and insurgents held two hostages. He said he killed three people.
The IDF and Shin Bet had been working on the operation for several weeks based on intelligence, IDF officials told Axios. The Israeli Air Force launched a heavy attack on Rafah as a diversion to make the rescue possible.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said dozens of Palestinians were killed in the shelling, Al Jazeera reported.
According to Axios, Israeli authorities notified the Biden administration of the operation after it was completed.
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Fernando Merman, 60, and Louis Herr, 70, were rescued from Rafah. (IDF)
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As of Monday, 134 of the more than 240 hostages abducted on October 7 remained in Gaza. More than 100 people were released as part of a hostage deal in November. This includes Herr’s wife, who is also Merman’s sister, and Merman’s other sister and niece.
Qatar and Egypt are trying to broker a new hostage deal, but Israel and Hamas have yet to reach an agreement.
President Biden on Sunday warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to expand ground operations in Gaza without a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians.
