For Prime Minister Netanyahu it was a “heroic” operation that will remain in the country’s history. Weeks of preparation, hundreds of men involved, American support, the blitz and the firefight with Hamas. Here’s what happened
06/09/2024
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defined the operation that led to the release of four Israeli hostages from the Gaza Strip as “heroic”: Noa Argamani26 years; Almog Meir Jan22; Andrey Kozlov27; Shlomi Ziv41. It will remain in the country’s history, he said after meeting with the people recovered yesterday in Nuseirat, during a joint operation by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Shin Bet intelligence agency and the police.
A complicated operation
“When this operation was submitted to me for final approval, I knew it was very complex and dangerous,” Netanyahu further explained. “But I approved it without hesitation because I trust the IDF, the Shin Bet, the Israel police,” he added. As the prime minister himself highlighted, the operation “did not come without a price”, the official recalled Arnon Zmora, killed in action. “He and his fellow heroes demonstrated that the State of Israel has the strength, the will to fight, the resourcefulness, and that Israel can go anywhere. We will return all our hostages, one way or another,” he concluded.
The go-ahead at the last minute
An American cell in Israel assisted in the rescue of four Israeli hostages, collaborating with Israeli forces in the operation, an American official told CNN. CNN previously reported that Israel had been preparing for Saturday’s operation for weeks, involving hundreds of personnel from the Israeli army, national intelligence services and a special police unit. The operation, in fact, required weeks of planning and received the final green light only a few minutes before it began on Saturday morning, according to what Israeli officials reported to the New York Times. The same newspaper revealed that in the last three weeks there had been several occasions in which it seemed possible to complete the operation but all attempts were cancelled.
The raid
The raid began simultaneously in both buildings where the hostages were in locked rooms surrounded by armed guards: in one building, where Argamani was being held, Israeli officers managed to take the Hamas captors by surprise; in the other, they engaged in a firefight before reaching the other three hostages. Then the radio announcement that “the diamonds are in our hands”, using the agreed code word, as the rear admiral explained Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the IDF. They then exited the buildings under fire from Hamas men, who threw RPG grenades, Hagari said. Israeli officers shielded the hostages with their bodies to try to protect them and Israeli planes struck in and around the area, targeting the militants, he added, saying he was aware of Palestinian casualties but without commenting on how many there were. civilians.
