 "Rescued 27-year-old hostage Andrey Kozlov was among four others who were recued by IDF in a complex rescue mission. AP")
“I couldn’t stop hugging him,” said Orit Meir, the mother of 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, who was among the four hostages rescued by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in a “complex, high-risk” daytime operation on Saturday.
“Tomorrow is my birthday so I got my present,” Meir told the media in a press conference.
After weeks of meticulous planning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) along with the intelligence agency Shin Bet and Israel Police carried out an operation over the weekend, in the heart of Nuseirat in central Gaza to bring back four Israeli hostages. Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andri Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were held captive by Hamas militants for around eight months after they were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on 7 October, as per The Times of Israel report.
Dubbed “Seeds of Summer”, the operation was termed “heroic” by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and brought relief and celebration to Israel. In contrast, for Palestinians, it brought more suffering as Hamas officials say the raid killed hundreds in the densely populated Nuseirat camp.
How did the IDF pull off the rescue mission? Let’s take a closer look
What happened in the raid?
In an unusual move, the operation was carried out by the National Police special anti-terror unit of Yamam in broad daylight, which according to IDF’s Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari allowed them a greater element of surprise. They were joined by Shin Bet agents.
“In the daytime, you take more risks to make sure the surprise element is kept, and we understood that inside the flats it would give us leverage,” Hagari said. “We surprised them completely, but it was still hard.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsWithout the cover of darkness, the soldiers ran a greater risk of failing to get in and out of Gaza safely.
As part of their preparations, the military underwent “intensive training” and also built models of the apartments the hostages were held in after receiving intelligence regarding their location weeks ago, Hagari informed in a press briefing.
He also revealed that the hostages had been locked in two separate apartments in civilian multi-story buildings about 200 metres (650 feet) apart, with Argamani held in a different building from the three men as the hostages were frequently moved around “flat to flat”.
At 11 am (local time) on Saturday, the operation was given the go-ahead and simultaneous strikes were carried out by the forces. The elite commandos were accompanied by tanks and were seen firing at Hamas terrorists. A site was soon secured for soldiers to call down a chopper coming in from the sea.
A resident, Nidal Abdo, told CNN that he was shopping at Nuseirat market before “a crazy bombardment started hitting everywhere.” “[It was] something we never witnessed before, maybe 150 rockets fell in less than 10 minutes, while we were running away more fell on the market,” he added.
Military officials described Argamani’s rescue as relatively smooth, considering the circumstances. However, a major gun battle erupted at the apartment where Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were held.
During the intense combat, commander Arnon Zmora, 36, an officer in the special anti-terror unit of Yamam was shot and he later succumbed to his injuries. He leaves behind a wife and two children, Israel’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on X. To honour the slain soldier, the mission’s name was changed to ‘Operation Arnon’.
In a new headcam footage released by the military, soldiers were seen escorting Kozlov and Jan towards the helicopter after it landed. Following the rescue, the chopper took off and exited the Gaza Strip where they delivered the hostages to the Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv.
While the operation was termed “extraordinary” by Israeli defence minster Yoav Gallant, it is said to have left a trail of devastation in Gaza with reports of hundreds of Palestinians injured and killed. Local residents who witnessed the attack described the attack as “hell on earth”, in a CNN report.
The Palestinian death toll
The raid, took place in mid-morning, when streets were teeming with locals shopping at a nearby market. As the offensive began, heavy bombardment was reported from the area, leaving many dead and injured.
In a Reuters report, IDF said the death toll was “under 100”, but the Hamas officials disagree. The authorities called the Saturday operation a “horrific massacre” that resulted in more than 250 casualties and left over 600 injured.
While describing the airstrikes, 10-year-old Areej Al Zahdneh, told the _BBC, “_We couldn’t breathe. My sister Reemaz was hit by shrapnel in her head and my five-year-old sister Yara was also hit by shrapnel.”
The report also quoted doctors at the two hospitals who said they had counted more than 70 bodies.
The Israeli authorities placed blame on Hamas, saying Israeli forces had to enter civilian areas to reach hostages as this was where Hamas had embedded itself.
“The operation will pose a great danger to the (remaining hostages) and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives,”Hamas’ military spokesperson Obaida said.
With input from agencies