In a bold and risky midday operation, Israeli commandos successfully rescued four hostages from Hamas captors in the Gaza Strip .
The Israeli teams faced heavy gunfire during the extraction, leading to a street battle before the hostages were safely airlifted by helicopters to the beach.
In Tel Aviv, beachgoers cheered the news, and some television anchors were moved to tears as they announced the successful operation.
The operation was meticulously planned, with the Israeli police’s counterterrorist unit, Yamam, training extensively on models of the targeted buildings.
The decision to raid both buildings simultaneously was crucial to avoid alerting the captors at either location.The successful rescue operation was aided by the Israeli air force, which struck Hamas targets in Nuseirat to create cover for the commandos.
In a bold and risky midday operation, Israeli commandos successfully rescued four hostages from Hamas captors in the Gaza Strip . The operation, which took place at 11:25 a.m. on Saturday, was personally overseen by Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi from a Shin Bet security agency command center.As per a Wall Street report, the commandos launched a surprise raid on two apartment blocks in Nuseirat, central Gaza, where the hostages were held. The Israeli teams faced heavy gunfire during the extraction, leading to a street battle before the hostages were safely airlifted by helicopters to the beach. One Israeli officer was fatally wounded in the operation, while the Israeli military reported that about 100 Palestinians, including Hamas militants and civilians, were either killed or wounded.The successful rescue of hostages brought a rare moment of national joy to Israel, which has been embroiled in an eight-month conflict. In Tel Aviv, beachgoers cheered the news, and some television anchors were moved to tears as they announced the successful operation. However, for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, it was another tragic day marked by airstrikes, death, and mourning. Residents in Nuseirat described the bombardment as one of the war's worst days, expressing anger at Hamas for endangering civilians by holding hostages in residential buildings, the WSJ report said.Hamas, which had seized over 240 hostages during the October 7 attack on southern Israel, condemned the Israeli raid as "brutal and barbaric," claiming that 210 Palestinians were killed and 400 wounded. However, they did not specify the number of combatants among the casualties.Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman, likened the raid to the 1976 Entebbe airport rescue, highlighting its complexity and the risk involved. The operation was meticulously planned, with the Israeli police’s counterterrorist unit, Yamam, training extensively on models of the targeted buildings. The decision to raid both buildings simultaneously was crucial to avoid alerting the captors at either location.The successful rescue operation was aided by the Israeli air force, which struck Hamas targets in Nuseirat to create cover for the commandos. Despite the heavy resistance faced during the extraction, the commandos managed to retrieve the hostages safely, signaling a significant psychological boost for Israel in its ongoing conflict, the WSJ report added.In the aftermath, the hostages were reunited with their families, bringing tears and relief in Israel, while Gaza residents faced more devastation and anger.
