Israel announced on Saturday that it successfully rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in a Hamas-led attack on October 7. The army disclosed that 25-year-old Noa Argamani, 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan, 27-year-old Andrey Kozlov, and 40-year-old Shlomi Ziv were rescued in a complex special daytime operation in Nuseirat. The hostages were found in two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat.
This rescue operation comes amidst mounting international pressure on Israel to minimize civilian casualties in its ongoing conflict in Gaza, now in its eighth month. In an effort to break the deadlock in cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to return to the Middle East next week.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s offensive has resulted in the death of at least 36,000 Palestinians, without distinguishing between combatants and civilians. Hamas had initially kidnapped around 250 hostages during the attack on southern Israel on October 7, with approximately half being released during a temporary cease-fire in November. Currently, over 130 hostages are still believed to be held captive, with some presumed dead.
The recent operation marks the largest successful recovery of alive hostages since the start of the conflict, bringing the total number of rescued captives to seven. Prior to this, two men were rescued in February, and a female hostage was saved in the aftermath of the October attack. Israeli forces have also retrieved the remains of at least 16 hostages from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under pressure to end the Gaza conflict, with calls from the public to accept a deal proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden. However, Netanyahu’s far-right allies have threatened to withdraw support from the government if he agrees to the deal.
Among the hostages rescued on Saturday, Noa Argamani stands out as one of the most well-known, having been abducted from a music festival.
