Israel frees two Argentinian hostages in military operation in southern Gaza
Israel announced on Monday that it had freed two hostages of Argentine origin in Rafah, on the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, in an overnight operation that left about 100 people dead, according to Hamas, the ruling Hamas in the Palestinian territory.
"In a joint operation by the IDF (army), ISA (Shin Bet Security Agency) and Israeli police at night in Rafah, two Israeli hostages, Fernando Marman (60) and Louis Har (70), were rescued," a statement from the three services said.
The Argentine presidency confirmed the information and the identity of the two freed hostages and the office of President Javier Milei, who was in Israel a few days ago and is in Rome on Monday, thanked the Israeli security forces on the X network "for having successfully completed the rescue" of Marman and Har.
Kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, the two men were taken to the Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan and "are in stable condition", Arnon Afek, director of the facility, told reporters.
Israeli forces stormed "with explosives" the first floor of a building where these captives were being held, "opened fire on nearby targets and freed the hostages," the army and governmen
DARING RESCUE: Footage released by the IDF of the operation to free two Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity, Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Luis Har (70). pic.twitter.com/7Hi85XrpdQ
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) February 12, 2024
"Gunfire then erupted from this building and neighbouring buildings, followed by prolonged fighting, during which dozens of Hamas targets were shelled to allow the soldiers to leave," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
According to the army, two soldiers were killed in another operation.
The Hamas Health Ministry reported "about 100 killed" in an attack, including shelling of numerous buildings in Rafah.
Footage of rescued hostages Fernando Marman and Luis Har reuniting with their loved ones this morning after 129 days of Hamas captivity. pic.twitter.com/pgtFf74TeP
— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) February 12, 2024
"Time is short"
Netanyahu ordered his army to prepare an offensive against Rafah despite criticism from the international community.
The leader on Monday reaffirmed his determination to defeat Hamas. "Only continued military pressure, until total victory, will lead to the release of all our hostages," he said.
The Islamist movement warned that such an offensive would "torpedo" any agreement to release hostages held by it in Gaza.
Some 250 people were kidnapped in Israel on 7 October and taken to Gaza. A one-week truce at the end of November led to the release of about 100 of them in exchange for some 240 Palestinians held in Israel.
First image of Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har after their rescue by Israeli special forces from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip overnight. pic.twitter.com/cq8YhY8m6i
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) February 12, 2024
Before these last two releases, the Israeli authorities estimated that 132 hostages were still in the Palestinian territory, and that 29 of them had died.
"Time is running out for the hostages. Their lives are in danger with each passing moment. The government must put all options on the table to free them," said the Hostages' Families Forum.
"Today we are happy, but we have not yet won. This is just one more step towards the return home" of the hostages still held captive in Gaza, said Idan Bejerano, son-in-law of Louis Har, in front of the hospital.
"Last bastion"
Rafah has become the last refuge for Palestinians, where 1.4 million people are crammed, according to the UN, trapped in this town next to Egypt's closed border.
Netanyahu wants to defeat Hamas in its "last bastion" in Rafah. "Victory is within reach," he told US broadcaster ABC, saying Israel would guarantee "safe passage for the civilian population so they can leave", without saying where they could take shelter.
Several countries warned of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the event of an assault on the town.
"Under current conditions", the US "will not be able to support a military operation in Rafah because of the density of the population", a senior official in the Biden administration said, noting that the civilian population "has nowhere to go".
The war between Israel and Hamas erupted on 7 October with the Islamist group's unprecedented attack on Israeli territory, in which some 1,160 people were killed, mostly civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli data.
In retaliation, Israel vowed to "annihilate" the Islamist movement that rules Gaza, which it considers a terrorist organisation. The Israeli offensive has so far left more than 28,300 people dead in the enclave, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry.
Some 1.7 million people, out of a total population of 2.4 million in Gaza, have had to flee since the outbreak of the war, according to the UN, due to the devastation in the Palestinian territory under Israeli siege and plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis.
Many of them have been displaced several times, fleeing further and further south as the fighting spreads.
Rafah, which has become a giant camp, is the last urban centre that the Israeli army has not raided, and is the main entry point for humanitarian aid.
