Percy Onyeka
Israeli special forces in a dramatic overnight raid freed two captives held by Hamas militants since the October 7 attack, in Gaza’s densely crowded southern city of Rafah near Egypt.
Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, were rescued amid an intense firefight and heavy airstrikes, then airlifted to a hospital where they were declared in good health despite more than four months in captivity.
An overnight bombing on Rafah killed around 100 people, including children, said the health ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, while the Hamas government said 14 houses and three mosques were hit.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the rescue operation and vowed that “only continued military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our hostages”.
About 130 of the original 250 captives taken by Hamas more than four months ago are still believed to be held in Gaza, although Israel presumes 29 of them are dead.
Har’s son-in-law praised the rescue of the Argentinian-Israeli men and described an emotional reunion in a hospital near Tel Aviv as “a lot of tears, hugs, not many words”.
“Luckily for us, as a family, they were saved tonight. But I must say that the job is not done,” said Idan Bejerano. “We are happy today, but we didn’t win. It’s just another step towards bringing all the other” hostages home, he continued.
As the sun rose over Rafah, local Palestinian residents surveyed the large bomb craters and rubble after the intense overnight battle.
One of them, Abu Suhhaib, said the fighting had made him feel “as if hell had opened”.
Agency Report
