'Fired from all sides': inside Israeli mission in Hamas port Rafah to rescue hostages ahead of emotional family reunion

TWO hostages rescued by Israeli forces were finally reunited with their families today after 128 days in Hamas captivity.

IDF spokesman Colonel Peter Lerner spoke to The Sun about the daring night mission performed by troops on Sunday to release the men.

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Lerner explained that during the operation, special forces had to work under enormous pressure as they came under “heavy fire from all directions”.

The IDF colonel told The Sun that both Fernando Simon Marman, 61, and Norberto Louis Har, 70, are in relatively good health after the rescue.

He said: “We evacuated them to buy a helicopter to the hospital from Telesomer Sheba Hospital just outside Tel Aviv, and they are undergoing further examination.

'But it looks promising this morning. I think it's a good way to start the day after four months of war.

“But we must not forget that 134 Israelis are still being held captive by Hamas.”

The pair were rescued Rafa – a southern city in the Gaza Strip – during the early hours of Monday.

A heavy barrage of airstrikes ravaged the area around the flat, as Hamas fired at Israeli forces and they fired back, claiming to have killed members of the terror group during the attack.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed that the rescue team protected Marman and Har with their own bodies during the heavy fighting.

Lerner told The Sun that the pair were being held by Hamas in “a house… on the second floor of the building.”

He added: “What we have seen time and time again is that Hamas has no regard for civilian life.”

Special forces from various units, including police and security services, were called in for the night raid.

They then streamed into the Rafah residential area around 2 a.m. local time on Monday to pick up Marman and Har.

Today, heartwarming images were released online of the two men reunited with their loved ones after more than four months.

The pair were seen turning the corner at an Israeli hospital before hugging their families tightly and hugging them.

At one point, Simon Marman hugged a woman, possibly his wife, tightly for several long moments and closed his eyes tightly as the couple was reunited.

Scores of loved ones, doctors and nurses surrounded the families as they expressed relief at being together again after so long.

Marman's sister and Har's partner, Clara Marman, were also taken hostage.

But Clara was released during the November ceasefire, along with their other sister Gabriela and her daughter Mia.

When asked about the widespread criticism Israel has received for unleashing fire in an area where nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering, Lerner said the military's goal is to wipe out Hamas.

“We must minimize the impact and operate in accordance with the laws of armed conflict.

“But in the end we will achieve our goals: bringing back the hostages, every one of them, and ensuring that Hamas, which cannot be entrusted with power, never gets the power to govern the Gaza Strip. Once more. “

He said no attempts had been made to evacuate civilians from the area.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza claims that at least 67 Palestinians were killed in the overnight attacks as part of the Israeli rescue operation.

And the Israeli operation in Rafah – Netanyahu's attempt to crush Hamas's “last bastion” – was met with widespread international opposition.

But the Israeli prime minister stressed that the “latest terrorist raid” is an essential part of the four-month battle against Hamas.

Dozens of people, including children, have done so already killed as a result of strikes on the city.

Biden, Netanyahu's closest ally since the war began, even urged caution in this move.

And Egypt has threatened to completely suspend its peace treaty with Israel if ground troops are sent.

Lerner argued that Rafah – which until recently had been left as a place where Israel told Palestinians they could take shelter – had become something of a haven for Hamas terrorists.

He insisted that the IDF would do absolutely everything in their power to destroy the group and bring the hostages home, even if that meant invading Rafah.

Lerner doubled down, adding, “They [Hamas] must be looked up. They must be exterminated, they must be crushed, and the Israelis, the hostages, must be brought home.”

The IDF expert revealed that nearly two dozen Hamas strongholds have been destroyed.

“We dismantled and destroyed 18 Hamas battalions. There are probably about 4 left in various locations in the Gaza Strip.”

Netanyahu said Monday morning: “Fernando and Luis – welcome home. I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their liberation.”

Both men are Argentine citizens and also hold Israeli citizenship; they were snatched from a kibbutz by Hamas on October 7.

When Hamas attacked Israel last year, they killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others.

More than 100 of these hostages were released during the only brief ceasefire in November, and Israel says more than 130 remain in captivity.

Some of the remaining hostages are believed to be dead, either killed by Hamas or by Israeli strikes in Gaza.

Three were tragically killed by Israel's own soldiers after escaping Hamas terrorists in December.

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