IDF's largest rescue operation frees four hostages from Hamas

On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out a complicated and risky operation aimed at freeing four hostages held by Hamas. Among those freed was Noa Argamani.

This action was the largest rescue operation since the war in the Gaza Strip erupted in October 2023. The Associated Press provided this information.

The actions of the IDF involved carrying out two simultaneous raids on facilities controlled by Hamas and located in central Gaza. The rescue operations were part of broader activities in the al-Nusairat area. Gaza authorities reported on Saturday that "dozens of people" were killed as a result of these actions.

The four freed hostages are Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrej Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. They were all kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7, during the Supernova music festival near the southern part of Kibbutz Re’im.

The whole world saw the footage of Noa being kidnapped. It shows her sitting on a motorcycle, reaching out towards her boyfriend and shouting: "Don't kill me! No, no, no". The bike drives off, with the girl held by the attackers.

Initial medical examinations conducted on the freed hostages showed that they were in good health. They were immediately transported to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel for further diagnostics and necessary medical care.

Hamas kidnapped about 250 people during the October attack. Nearly half of them were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. Israel claims that more than 130 hostages remain in the hands of terrorists, with about a quarter believed to be deceased. Protests are regularly organized in the country, with citizens calling on the government to increase efforts to free the captives.

So far, the Israeli military has managed to rescue seven hostages. The operation carried out on Saturday was the largest of its kind since the beginning of the conflict.