Israel said on Saturday it had rescued four hostages who had been kidnapped during the massacres carried out by Hamas on October 7. 130 people are still believed to be in the hands of the Islamist organization.
Four living hostages were released by the Israeli army. In the largest hostage recovery operation of its kind since the start of the war with Hamas in Gaza, the IDF said it had rescued Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir, January 21, Andrei Kozlov, 27 and Shlomi Ziv, 40 years old. The four ex-hostages were rescued in two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat, the army press release said.
Noa Argamani was one of the most widely recognized hostages since she was kidnapped at a music festival. The video of her kidnapping was among the first to surface, with images of her horrified face widely shared. Her mother, Liora, suffering from stage four brain cancer, posted a video in April pleading to see her daughter again before she died.
Hamas kidnapped some 250 hostages during its attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering the war between Israel and Hamas.
About half have already been released during a week-long ceasefire in November. but Israel claims thatTo date, more than 130 hostages remain, around a quarter of whom are believed to be dead. Sixteen bodies have already been recovered.
The Israeli offensive killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its figures.
After eight months of war, this rescue comes as international pressure increases on Israel to limit the shedding of civilian blood in Gaza. Internally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure to end the fighting and many Israelis are urging him to accept a deal announced last month by U.S. President Joe Biden, but his far-right allies threaten to bring down his government if he does.
Seeking a breakthrough in these ceasefire negotiations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in the Middle East again next week.