Two hostages released
.
More than 65 Palestinians dead.
And a fierce night of bombings on Gaza.
For Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the release, early this Monday, of Argentine captives held by Hamas in an apartment in the city of Rafah was
"one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of Israel."
Netanyahu visited the forces who participated early Monday in the hostage rescue operation in Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, and congratulated them for their role in "one of the most successful rescue operations in history." From Israel".
Netanyahu visited the forces who participated in the rescue operation early Monday morning.
Photo: Reuters
"This is one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of the State of Israel:
you eliminated the kidnappers, the terrorists
, you fought your way back to Israel unharmed: a perfect operation," the prime minister said.
Netanyahu, together with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, visited the Yaman unit of the Israel Border Police, specialized in counterterrorism operations, and which participated in the rescue operation together with Israeli Army troops and Shin agents. Bet, Israeli services.
"A few days ago the operation was brought to me for approval and
I approved it
. A few hours later, I thought about three things: about the sanctity of the mission; about the risks versus possibilities, and there were risks; and thirdly, I thought in you, in the warriors," the prime minister told them.
More than 60 Palestinians died in the operation, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Photo: EFE
Netanyahu, who
followed the operation from the Shin Bet war room
, praised its "perfect execution" and the relief he felt when he heard the commander say
"the kidnapped people are in our hands."
"You eliminated the kidnappers, the terrorists, you returned unharmed to Israel: perfect operation, perfect execution," he stressed.
"A promiscuous agreement"
"You
have shown that it is possible to do the incredible,
and you have shown something else, in these days when there is talk of an agreement (for the release of hostages), a promiscuous agreement, but I trust the prime minister," said Ben Gvir,
representative of the settler extreme right within the government
, opposed to any negotiation with Hamas.
Israeli forces rescued this morning in Rafah, the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, two hostages,
Fernando Simón Marman, 60, and Norberto Louis Har, 70
, both kidnapped in the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz on October 7.
Norberto Louis Har (left) and Fernando Simon Marman.
Photo: EFE
This is the second successful hostage rescue
achieved by Israel, after capturing soldier Ori Megidish alive at the end of October, when the ground operation in the Gaza Strip began.
In addition to the 3 hostages rescued - two just today -
110 captives have been freed by Hamas
, 105 of them as part of the
only
truce agreement reached in November
.
With the capture of the two men in Rafah,
130 hostages kidnapped on October 7 remain inside the Strip
, of whom it is estimated that
around thirty are dead;
in addition to four captives that Hamas had held for years in the enclave, which included two dead soldiers.