Yom Shabbat
Saturday
2 Sivan 5784
June 8 2024
UPDATE 5:00 PM
FOUR HOSTAGES RESCUED ALIVE!
L-R: Andrey Kozolov, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Shlomi Ziv.
In a daring rescue mission, these 4 hostages were rescued alive from Nuseirat in central Gaza.
Some scenes from their reuniting with their families in the past few hours:
Celebrations erupted throughout Israel when the news was released.
How the rescue unfolded:
1. About two weeks ago, Shin Bet determined that the hostages were being held in two buildings in Nuseirat: the three men in one building, Noa Argamani in another. It is being reported that when Noa Argamani’s HamISIS video was released last month, Noa secretly provided information as to where she was.
2. IDF and Shin Bet forces penetrated deeply into Nuseirat to gain intel. Intense planning was carried out.
3. At 11:00 this morning, the order was given by PM Netanyahu to proceed. IAF gunships and planes pulverized the nearby area “paralyzing” the terrorists.
4. The buildings were stormed by Yamam counter-terrorism soldiers, Shin Bet soldiers, and members of the IDF. The hostages were rescued amidst intense face to face firefights (apparently the terrorists tried to murder the hostages), and they were quickly evacuated to a waiting helicopter on the Gaza coast.
5. In the process of the operation, some 93 terrorists were killed. There are rumors that two senior HamISIS leaders are among the dead, but this has yet to be corroborated.
6. Unfortunately one of our brave Yamam soldiers was critically wounded during the rescue, and he died shortly thereafter:
Commander Arnon Zamora (36 years old with a wife and 2 children) of the elite Yaman counter-terrorism unit. May his heroic memory be for a blessing.
Already the rescue has had political ramifications. The ever abominable Benny Gantz who was all set upon orders from the Biden Administration to resign from the government quickly postponed his press conference indefinitely.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.