Israel says four hostages rescued in central Gaza military operation
CNN
By Benjamin Brown and Niamh Kennedy, CNN
(CNN) — Four hostages have been freed in a special operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Israel’s military says, as Palestinian officials reported more than 50 people killed in strikes in the same area.
Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, were rescued by the Israeli military, intelligence and special forces from two separate locations in Nuseirat, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday.
All four were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, according to the IDF.
“They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,” the IDF added.
Rescuing hostages taken during the Hamas attacks of October 7 remains a major goal of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Following Saturday’s announcement, the total number of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip from October 7 is now 116, of which at least 41 are dead.
News of the rescue came soon after Israel’s military said it was operating in Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza, where heavy shelling and artillery fire was reported.
At least 55 people have been killed as a result of the operation in Nuseirat, Deir al-Balah and al-Zawaideh on Saturday, according to a spokesperson at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah.
The spokesperson said earlier on Saturday the number of injured is so high that it is difficult to confirm the exact number.
Hostage rescues are rare: this is only the third such successful operation. IDF Corporal Ori Megidish was rescued in October last year from the northern Gaza Strip. In another operation on February 12 this year, Fernando Marman and Louis Har were rescued from southern Rafah.
One of the group, Noa Argamani, became one of the symbols of the October 7 attacks, after video emerged of her seen shouting and pleading from the seat of a motorbike as a group of Hamas fighters drive away with her in tow.
In the video, Argamani’s boyfriend, fellow Israeli citizen Avinatan Or, is also led away and kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
Noa’s mother Liora Argamani is a Chinese citizen who has been grappling with late stage brain cancer. In a video released last November, she made a desperate plea to be able to see her daughter one more time.
“I don’t know how long I have left. I wish for the chance to see my Noa at home,” her mother said, calling on US President Joe Biden to push for her daughter’s release.
Argamani’s family had previously received signs that she was still alive. She appeared in a series of Hamas propaganda videos released in January this year.
Video showed Argamani embracing her father after her release.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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