Israel rescues two hostages after 128 days of captivity on October 7 as commandos launch daring night attack on Rafah
ISRAELI troops have rescued two hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza city of Rafah in a daring overnight raid.
The IDF announced on Sunday that Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Norberto Louis Har, 70, were brought home safely after more than four months in captivity by the terrorist group.
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The pair were rescued from Rafah, where they were reportedly being held in an apartment guarded by armed Hamas men.
Israeli forces broke into the apartment just before 2 a.m. local time on Monday as airstrikes pounded the surrounding areas.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari claimed that the rescue team protected Marman and Har with their own bodies during the heavy fighting.
The men, who were held for 128 days, were then taken to a shelter, where they were checked by doctors and airlifted to a hospital in Israel.
Hagari said troops carried out the “complex rescue operation” under cover of night after waiting for the right conditions.
He added: “The troops pulled Louis and Fernando out of the apartment and rescued them under fire until they reached the safe zone.
“It was a very tense and moving night. Such an operation was made possible thanks to the great sacrifice of the standing army and reserve troops who fell and were wounded during the battles.
“Without their sacrifice, we would not have reached this moment.”
The Israeli operation in Rafah has drawn widespread international criticism as most of the Gaza Strip has now been wiped out as a result of the grueling war.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to crush Hamas's “last bastion” which it says is hiding in the southern enclave in Gaza.
Nearly 1.5 million Palestinian civilians have fled there since the start of Israel's Hamas war to escape the bloodshed.
Dozens of them, including children, have done so already killed as a result of Israeli attacks on the city.
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