Israel’s Sayeret Matkal gearing up for hostage rescue in Gaza: What is this special forces unit?

The war between Israel and Hamas raged for the sixth day, with the Palestinian group’s military wing reportedly firing rockets at Tel Aviv. Hamas said this was in retaliation to Israeli airstrikes targeting “civilians” in two refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. “Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades fired rockets at Tel Aviv in response to (Israeli bombing) targeting civilians in Al-Shati and Jabalia camps,” Hamas was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. The latest flare-up began after Hamas’s surprise multi-front assault on the West Asian country on the weekend. The militant group also infiltrated Israel’s territory near the Gaza border and has taken dozens of hostages, including non-Israelis. Israeli authorities have notified the families of 81 hostages held by Hamas across the Gaza Strip, Israel’s army spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, as per Al Jazeera. Commanders of the Hamas military group have claimed they have at least 130 captives. There are reports that Israel’s elite special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal, is on standby to rescue the hostages in Gaza. What is this special forces unit? Let’s take a closer look. What is Sayeret Matkal?  Established in 1957, Sayeret Matkal, also known as “the Unit”, is among the world’s most efficient counter-terrorism forces. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) website, Sayeret Matkal is chiefly a “field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence”, which is also tasked with “counter-terrorism and hostage rescue beyond Israel’s borders.” This highly secretive special operations unit is modelled on the British Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, as per The Telegraph. Also known as the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit or Unit 269, this special forces unit of the IDF has successfully completed several missions including in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and most famously at Entebbe, a city in Uganda. In 1976, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Red Army Faction – a German radical leftist group – hijacked a French airliner and flew it to the Entebbe airport. The Palestinian/German hijackers held 94 Jewish passengers and 12 Air France crew members hostage, most of whom were rescued by the Sayeret Matkal commandos. [caption id=“attachment_13238852” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sayeret Matkal, also known as “the Unit”, is among the world’s most efficient counterterrorism forces. Image Courtesy: idf.il[/caption] Dubbed Operation Thunderbolt, the Israeli forces stormed the terminal building and killed the terrorists. Three hostages also lost their lives. The older brother of Israel’s current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yonatan Netanyahu – who was a commander of the Sayaret Matkal – was shot dead on the tarmac during the Entebbe raid. He is a celebrated national hero. Harsh training, famous leaders As per a Vanity Fair report, Sayaret Matkal operates from a secret base deep in the Negev Desert in southern Israel. The candidates have to go through a harsh camp known as Gibbush which includes going without sleep for several days, before even being selected for basic training, reported The Mirror. Only those who are cleared by doctors and psychologists are admitted to basic training. Many elite Israeli politicians have served in Sayeret Matkal, including former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Naftali Bennett. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also a veteran of the Unit and took part in several missions, including the 1972 rescue of hijacked Sabena Flight 571 during which he was shot in the shoulder, reported The Telegraph. ALSO READ: How cheap drones helped Hamas ambush Israel's sophisticated weaponry How Sayeret Matkal can help now According to The Telegraph, experts say Sayeret Matkal will be called upon for the hostage rescue in Gaza because of its expertise, along with the Yamam special forces unit of Israel’s national police. “Israel has perfected the counter-terror hostage rescue mission… these units have been collecting intelligence and working closely with the Mossad and Israel’s Shin Bet service,” Aaron Cohen, an Israeli special forces expert, told the British newspaper. “However these missions are extremely dangerous,” he added. It is believed captives are being held in tunnels, apartment buildings, and military bases in Gaza . Hamas has reportedly said the hostages are kept in “all areas” of the Strip and has threatened to kill its captives if Israeli airstrikes do not stop targeting the sealed-off enclave. [caption id=“attachment_13238952” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Palestinians remove a dead body from the rubble of a building after an Israeli airstrike hit Jebaliya refugee camp, Gaza Strip, on 9 October 2023. AP File Photo[/caption] There are also fears of casualties during the rescue operations. Avner Avraham, a former officer with Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, told The Telegraph: “When you have 100 to 130 hostages, it’s not easy to hide them.” “I believe we will find information about locations. But it’s very complicated, very difficult. It will take time and we will lose people, unfortunately.” Speaking to The Mirror, Dr Andreas Kreig, senior lecturer at the school of security studies at King’s College London, said: “Sayeret Matkal are really the only battle-hardened unit [the Israeli Defense Forces] will be using. “And they’ve been operating in the West Bank and behind enemy lines in Gaza. They are special forces. They have autonomy to pursue their own targets.” However, the rescue mission would not be easy as hostages are a “key bargaining tool” for Hamas, he added. “I suspect the hostages will be used as human shields, to limit Israeli operations. The hostages are a key bargaining tool. Hamas won’t want to give them up,” Dr Krieg told The Mirror. Experts believe the special forces could be deployed for hostage rescue, as the Israeli military distracts Hamas with a ground invasion. “The operations that we’re gonna be seeing in Israel in my opinion will be conducted via the smokescreen which will be connected to the major offensive Israel is preparing for right now,” Cohen, the Israeli special forces expert, told US’ Fox News.  With inputs from agencies