Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Hare, two Israeli hostages who, according to the Israeli military, were freed in a special forces operation in Rafah, Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, reunite with loved ones at the Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan, Israel, February 12, 2024, in this still image obtained from a video. Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Israelis celebrated the daring rescue operation in the Rafah section of Gaza that brought home two elderly hostages on Monday. “‘You have no greater mitzvah than redeeming captives’ (Rambam).
The IDF announced the rescue of 70 year old Norberto Louis Har and 61 year old Fernando Simon Marman early Monday morning in what was detailed to be a risky but successful operation. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who serves as the IDF Spokesman, detailed the operation, whereby members of Israel’s elite Yamam unit, the Shin Bet, and the IDF entered the densely populated Rafah city in southern Gaza.
Arriving at 1 am, they entered a building and headed to “the second floor where the hostages were held,” according to Hagari. After killing a number of terrorists, they took the hostages, taking them to a safe area where they were airlifted to Israel. During the operation troops were given “intense firepower from the air. Fire was opened from nearby buildings. The Air Force struck intensively there.”
According to the IDF, no soldiers were killed during the rescue operation while the Hamas-run Health Ministry which does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists claimed that over 100 Palestinians were killed.
“Fernando and Louis – welcome home. I salute our brave warriors for the bold action that led to their liberation. Only the continuation of military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our abductees,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home.”
The rescued hostages were brought to Sheba Medical Center in central Israel where they were checked and reunited with their families.
The niece of Fernando, Gefen Sigal Ilan, told Israeli media “They came back pale and thin, they haven’t seen sunlight for four months and it shows on them. They both really like good food, so little by little they will get back to enjoying it.”
The father of Eldor said on Monday “No soldier who was kidnapped, no hostage, and no victim of this horror must be in vain. It’s time to bring them all back, we can’t abandon them.”
The operation in the Rafah area is the first public entry by Israeli forces into the southernmost portion of the Gaza Strip, where an estimated 1.5 million Gazans are sheltering after being evacuated from their homes elsewhere in the Strip. Despite the mass of Gazans in Rafah, bordering Egypt, the neighboring Arab states, and Western governments have refused to let any refugees leave the coastal enclave. Objections to operations in Rafah have come from them all, including US President Joe Biden who told Netanyahu in a phone call on Sunday that the IDF should not enter Rafah without proper plans to protect civilians.
Similarly, British Foreign Minister David Cameron said he is “deeply concerned about the prospect of a military offensive” in Rafah. European Foreign Minister Joseph Borrell also said an operation would result in a “unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe.”
Netanyahu has been firm in pushing Israel’s need to enter Rafah, known as a Hamas stronghold and the last part of the Strip where they have in-tact military battalions. Additionally, it is thought that Hamas leadership is hiding in tunnels beneath Rafah. Netanyahu told ABC News on Sunday, “We’re going to do it. We’re going to get the remaining Hamas terrorist battalions in Rafah, which is the last bastion.”
