In a heroic military operation, at great risk to life, the hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were rescued alive from the Nuseirat refugee camp this Saturday. The operation was planned meticulously for three weeks: drills, preparations, intelligence, and physical models were conducted, designed to prepare for every scenario.
Video: The truck that was supposedly used by the IDF during the raid / Credit: Arab social media
They were rescued by Shin Bet and Israel Police counterterrorism elite fighters from two different locations in the heart of Nuseirat, where the IDF operated earlier today. Southern Command Chief Yaron Finkelman commanded the rescue event and managed a significant complication during the forces' exit.
In Gaza, it is reported that the special force entered Nuseirat with a truck carrying "furniture" for displaced persons. It is further claimed that the truck was driven by a female soldier in civilian clothes, and the force approached the vicinity of Al-Awda Hospital. According to reports, the hostages were extracted from this area by car while engaging in gunfire with terrorists.
A source said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant approved the operation plan on Thursday evening. In this discussion, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar presented the operation in detail, the possibilities, risks, and implications, and as mentioned, the operation was approved.
The prime minister arrived Saturday at the Shin Bet command post, from where the operation was managed, and monitored its progress together with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi, Shin Bet Director Bar, and others.
The operation was planned in detail The operation was carried out under the operational leadership of the Shin Bet Operations Division and was managed and planned over time. Intimate intelligence from the Shin Bet's southern region led to knowing the hostages' condition and location - when all conditions allowed the operation, and today at 11:00 AM, the "Go" order was given.
The operational procedure and method for the operation were planned and crafted by the Shin Bet's operational unit in detail. Drills, preparations, intelligence and physical models were conducted to prepare for any scenario that could go wrong, from team complications to a battle where there could be additional hostages or casualties from our forces to one of the hostages being harmed during the battle.
Operation name: Summer Seeds
The Shin Bet's part in the operation, named "Summer Seeds," was very significant. This is one of the most complex operations. The hostages were held by Hamas underground or with families with guards, in the heart of Nuseirat in a civilian environment, in four or three-story buildings. The buildings were 200 meters apart.
In the operation, it was decided to go for both sites simultaneously, due to the fear that if they only operated on one site, the hostages at the other site would be killed because the houses were nearby.
The hostages moved between apartments, so intelligence in the operation was significant. Military Intelligence made a tremendous effort. The Israeli Air Force provided tremendous air cover, and the Shin Bet provided exceptional intelligence. The understanding was that conditions were created that produced a relative advantage in reaching the hostages.
One of the vehicles in which the hostages were put got stuck in Nuseirat due to damage to the vehicle, and a rescue battle of the forces took place. During this clash, they evacuated the Yamam fighter who was seriously injured, including the entry of rescue helicopters in broad daylight into the strip that joined the forces and evacuated him.
The Yamam fighter was very seriously injured in the hostages' building, treated in the field while moving, and during the transfer to our forces by helicopter. His condition deteriorated in the hospital, where his death was declared.
The military confirms that in the operation there are also civilian casualties, Hamas operates in a civilian society and places hostages in families they paid, and the extraction is under fire. This is a cynical exploitation by Hamas within a civilian society, the armed men run in the streets with RPGs and shoot at the forces and alleys.
"Brilliant planning" Defense Minister Gallant, who monitored the operation from the operations room, said, "This is one of the most heroic, impressive operations I've seen in my 47 years in the defense establishment. IDF, Yamam, and Shin Bet forces did an action second to none – audacity, brilliant planning, execution unmatched in courage and determination, all in close cooperation between all branches of the defense system – between the IDF, Yamam, Shin Bet, as if they are one small unit."
"Our fighters showed unmatched courage," Gallant added, "under hellish fire in the toughest places in the heart of a refugee camp in broad daylight. I don't remember us doing many things like this, with this intensity and cooperation and success."
