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Home » Wonderful news: Israel rescues four hostages

Wonderful news: Israel rescues four hostages

The New Neo Posted on by

Here are some of the details:

The mission was conducted in broad daylight and in an area where Israeli forces had not previously operated.

The operation to rescue Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 was planned out weeks in advance, according to information seen by The Times of Israel. Known originally as “Seeds of Summer,” its name was changed after the event to “Operation Arnon” after Yamam officer Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, who was critically wounded by Hamas fire amid the rescue of three of the hostages and later died of his wounds.

During the planning period, intelligence on the hostages’ locations was obtained and studied. Amid the war, Hamas has repeatedly moved hostages around Gaza, in an attempt to prevent Israeli rescue operations.

In the days leading up to the rescue, the police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit drilled various models of the extraction from central Gaza’s Nuseirat, which military officials said were “similar to the Entebbe raid” of 1976, when Israeli commandos rescued more than 100 hostages in Uganda

One huge difference was that in Entebbe, the 106 hostages (102 were rescued) had only been held from the 27th of June till the 4th of July. Even more importantly, it was well-known where they were located in Uganda, and they were all together (except for one who had been removed to a hospital and was subsequently murdered on the orders of Idi Amin). And lastly, there were no civilians around, Gazan or otherwise, except the hostages. Tragically – as in the current operation – one Israeli military member died. In Entebbe, it was Netanyahu’s older brother Yonatan.

More on the current hostage rescue:

The buildings were about 200 meters apart, and the decision to go for both simultaneously was due to the possibility that Hamas may murder the hostages after identifying the rescue operation at the other location.

Argamani was held by Hamas guards alone in the home of a Palestinian family, while the other three hostages were held at a separate home, also with guards. According to the IDF, Hamas pays such families to hold the hostages in their houses. (Meir Jan said on his release that he, Kozlov and Ziv were held together throughout their eight months in captivity, in a total of four homes, Channel 12 reported on Saturday night.)

Argamani’s rescue was described by military officials as relatively smooth considering the circumstances. But a major gun battle erupted at the home where Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were held.

All four hostages had been taken from the NOVA music festival. Argamani’s name and face are probably more familiar to you than those of the others. She is the beautiful young woman who was videoed shrieking in terror as she was hauled off to Gaza. Her mother (of Chinese ethnicity) is dying of a terminal brain tumor, and has said that her one wish has been to see her daughter again before she dies. They have been reunited, but I don’t know her mother’s condition and she is apparently in a hospital. I deeply hope her mother was conscious and aware enough to fully savor the glorious moment. Her father certainly was; there are heartwarming photos and videos of their reunion.

All the hostages look well.

Note that all the hostages were held in the homes of civilians. What does “civilians” mean in that context? I have little doubt these are either Hamas members or trusted Hamas sympathizers.

More:

According to the IDF, the rescue forces faced a massive amount of gunfire and RPG fire in Nuseirat, leading the ground troops and the Israeli Air Force to carry out major strikes in the area.

The strikes, targeting the areas from where Hamas operatives were opening fire, were aimed at protecting the rescue forces and the hostages.

Hamas’s government media office said at least 210 people were killed amid the operation.

The IDF acknowledged that it killed Palestinian civilians amid the fighting, but it placed the blame on Hamas for holding hostages and fighting in a dense civilian environment.

“We know about under 100 [Palestinian] casualties. I don’t know how many of them are terrorists,” IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing with journalists, reported by Reuters.

My guess is that most of them were terrorists. But to the extent that there were civilian casualties, it’s obvious that all such casualties are the fault of Hamas. Hamas started the war. Hamas took the hostages. Hamas kept them, despite many very generous exchange offers by Israel. Most importantly of all, Hamas put them in civilian homes surrounded by civilians. Every drop of blood spilled is on their hands.

Ah, but as usual, Hamas and the PA want the world to blame Israel:

Hamas officials claimed over 210 Palestinians were killed during the airstrikes, including women and children, but did not include how many of the casualties were terrorists. …

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the operation at the Nuseirat refugee camp a “bloody massacre” and called for an emergency UN Security Council session to address the events, the PA’s official news agency WAFA said.

Somehow I don’t think this particular Palestinian charge will get as much traction as previous ones. But nothing would surprise me.

Many more photos at the link. All of Israel and all of Israel’s friends are rejoicing this day.

NOTE: I will add that this proves what I have consistently claimed, which is that a significant number of hostages are probably still alive. The reason is that the hostages represent a “get out of jail free” card to Hamas, a bargaining chip of great price. I have no idea how many are alive and how many dead, because dead hostages also are of great value to Hamas. But living hostages are worth more to them.

ADDENDUM: More details here.

Comments

Wonderful news: Israel rescues four hostages — 57 Comments

  1. I can imagine Hamas saying that since they have released four hostages, there should be a six-month ceasefire with withdrawal of IDF from Gaza.

    After all, if there is any group that exemplifies “chutzpah,” Hamas comes to mind.

    IIRC, there were initially ~ 250 hostages, and after the first official hostage release, about 140 hostages remained. I wonder of that ~ 140, how many have 1) been rescued or 2) identified as dead.

  3. Cnn goes further says they were released implying it was hamas doing

    Of course its ian bremmer fron the shop khashoggi built (the international crisis center)

    But they cant dampen the congratulations of such mission

  4. If you read about the Entebbe raid, two things are clear. Among others, I should say.
    First, it was a difficult and chancy plan. For example, they needed to land their C130 (C130, delivering you to the worst places on Earth since 1954.) at the very end of the run way, after coming in over Lake Victoria at night. How to know? Some guy breadboarded a cheesy radar set which could tell water from land. When the latter showed up, drop the aircraft and trust there was terra firma. You couldn’t see to tell the difference. This was close to fifty years’ worth of instrumentation development ago.
    Immense effort was made on intel to find out what was what. Released non-Jewish passengers were interviewed. An Israeli construction company had been involved in building the structure, which was lucky.
    Once the aircraft was down, it was pretty much a standard Infantry op.
    But the permits to land elsewhere on the way home–Kenya was one, iirc–were tough to get without spilling the beans.
    Should be recalled that the Air France crew elected to stay when the rest of the passengers were released, feeling a responsibility to their remaining passengers.
    Well done of them.
    Very worth the time catching up on it.

    Also upstaged our two hundredth anniversary, happening the weekend of the Fourth of July, 1976. Sneaky Jews, huh?

  5. And the Westbankonians and Hamashites are enjoying their status as protected victims chanting “F*ck the police” while the police give them free reign for their propaganda shoot (video).

    https://redstate.com/bonchie/2024/06/08/watch-chaos-at-the-white-house-as-pro-hamas-protesters-demand-jihad-and-fight-the-police-n2175223
    It should be interesting for the Dems in Chicago. It will be “mostly peaceful.”

    Helicopter rides to the Chesapeake Bay or Lake Michigan.

  6. A very slight quasi-professional acquaintance of mine (she fits the AWFL profile to a T) has decided that her project for the day is to post multiple tweets claiming that the civilians killed in Gaza are not “human shields,” because Hamas terrorists are not literally hiding behind them, and because the civilians are not actually stopping any bullets or bombs from the IDF. She characterizes the civilian casualties as the IDF’s “objects of revenge.” She further claims to be evenhanded regarding the war in Gaza, and not to have chosen a side. I think she is insane. Literally.

  7. I trust someone will l correct me. Burt if only one IDF service member was killed they’ll count it as a success. The troops signed up. The hostages didn’t

    Lots of nations have what they call special forces. For most a successful mission is when the bad guys don’t escape no matter who else gets killed. Our tier one special forces consider it a failure when not all the hostages come out alive.

  9. Israel can’t afford to lose troops. It’s a tiny country. I will mourn.

  11. The videos of the hostages reuniting with their families are deeply touching. So very happy for them and their families.

  13. Islam isn’t monolithic. An average Muslim is the same as you or me. They are horrified when they learn their Quran. It’s important to explain it to them gently. Because they won’t want to believe you. Show them chapter and verse. When their Imams and sheikhs claim context, know the context which does them in

  14. Only slightly less joyous than the rescue of the hostages is the fact that ~100 Hamas fighters were killed in the process.

    Hamas Delenda Est.

  15. It’s largely a factor of ammo. Ammo Is expensive and in much of the world is worth more than human life. Realistic practice takes ammo.

  17. It takes more work to get good with a knife and no matter how good you are you’ll get cut

  18. I once managed the largest ammunition account of any intelligence command in the Pacific Fleet. Which when you look at it is kind of bragging you captained the best ice hockey team in Polynesia.

    But it was a FITREP bullet.

  19. When you total it all up I really don’t have anything tio brag about. That IDF fighter who died. Now there’s a different story

  20. How much does does that Israeli soldiers family wish to have him back?

  21. Another achievement is that the depth of sheer evil reached by the UN and its representatives is much more sharply coming into focus.
    “Francesca Albanese calls rescue of 4 hostages ‘genocidal’…”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391292

    Scratch that. It’s something we already knew. Still, it’s always gobsmacking to see it demonstrated time and time again…

    File under: Under-/Nether-world…

  22. Barry, it’s not not gob smacking when you understand they’ve simply chosen sides. And no amount of evidence will influence them. They’ll hate you and call themselves good.

  23. It’s a powerful combination. Self righteousness and hatred. I think it’s the most powerful drug there is.

  25. Choosing sides…self-righteousness and hatred, indeed…

    The UN’s gonna hafta rebrand: something along the lines of “Depravity, Inc.”

  26. I wonder if the deaths of the hostage-holders and their neighbors may cause some others to reconsider having Hamas pay them to hold the remaining hostages.

  27. Shani Louk (murdered) and Noa Argamani – two beautiful Jewish girls who are back in Israel. There are no innocent civilians in Gaza. Going forward I hope Israel has learned at least this lesson which is never, and I mean never allow Gazans to work in Israel and never allow any Gazan to utilize Israeli medical facilities.

  29. Netanyahu should stay put in Israel—where he certainly has enough to keep him busy—and stay as far away as possible from that snake pit they call DC.

    (We’ve seen this film before.)

  33. On Instapundit, so likely you already know, but are you surprised?

    The person holding Noa Argamani hostage in his home was an Al Jazeera “journalist” who was ALSO Hamas’ Ministry of Labor spokesperson

  34. there is speculation that argamani is the source they were referring to, but it raises a whole bunch of other questions, how long have they known, were they transferred into her care, and when, in one of silva’s I thought too cloying accounts re arafat, there is a British reporter and a PA official, who are sources for Shabak, not for any noble reason, but out of self interest, spoiler then end up to be treasonous bastards but thats a day ending in y, recall that Ali Salameh, became a source for Robert Ames, who was mentioned in another tablet account, its suggested that when Mossad finally caught up to the Black Prince, that was the sign for Arafat to recruit Mugniyeh, into Hezbollah to target the Americans and the French, in the upcoming war mugniyeh who bob baer insists on calling Hala Rayyan, because he is in sufferable that way, became the New Black Prince, until a quarter century later he was driven to ground, by mossad and the companyworking together, he probably didn’t give the order to kidnap William Buckley, but he likely supervised his capture, with that Soviet trained Iranian doctor, al Abub,
    Paul Vidich has a new novel about that, Mugniyeh was also involved in terrorizing Buenos Aires in the 90s, because reasons as such he became the terror until he passed the baton to Bin Laden sometime in the late 90s, in the Sudan,

  35. So I went over to CNN, something I almost never do, because I couldn’t believe the coverage was as negative as I’d been led to believe. And there it was.

    “The IDF rescues four hostage in an operation that kills scores of Palestinians.”

    “Hostage celebrations in Israel could be brief.”

    “Saturday marked Gaza’s deadliest day in six months.”

    “‘It’s hell on earth’: Civilian describes scene…”

  36. I wasn’t around in the 60’s. Was it this bad? We are a house divided.

  37. Well, just more evidence that there are no civilians in Gaza.

    They are either in Hamas uniforms (whatever those are) or doing Hamas’ dirty work wearing civilian clothes and/or “employed” by the UN or some media outlet.

    I seriously doubt that any member of Hitler’s Einsatzgruppen contacted his parents back in Germany to brag about how many Jews he killed, but the Hamas terrorists did exactly that.

  38. }}} What does “civilians” mean in that context? I have little doubt these are either Hamas members or trusted Hamas sympathizers.

    Could also mean “Keep these people in your house, and your mouth shut… or else”

    This is HAMAS we are talking about, after all.

    }}} I wasn’t around in the 60’s. Was it this bad? We are a house divided.

    It wasn’t this bad in *1860*… 🙁

  39. Mike Plaiss, in the 1960s we had race riots, a president assassinated, the leader of the civil rights movement assassinated, and a senator running for president assassinated. Yeah, it was pretty bad. But I don’t recall neighbors and friends and family members hating each other.

  40. It wasn’t this bad in *1860*… ?

    Thanks ObloodyHell. I needed a good laugh.

  44. Mike, the 1960s student protests sucked. I was a preteen in those days. My impression was later confirmed to me by my professors. They were self indulgent bulls***ers. I don’t want to sound like a broken record but self indulgent bulls**” has a ready and willing audience.

  45. well it was a wave that echoed not only through the States, because Vietnam, but Italy for reasons, where the Brigatte Rossi arose out of, in France because DeGaulle had outstayed his welcome, in Germany, because of the Kiesenger cabinet, no relation,

  46. this whole coordination of direct action, that included Fatah the Latin American groups probably Umkhonto it self was agreed upon in the Tricontinental in Havana some two years earlier, as members of the future Underground had been trained there, around that time, that wraps them up as well,

  47. It was a success. But there’s an Israeli family mourning an IDF fighter

  49. Oh dose wacky Amewicans….

    Compare and contrast:
    “US official: Successful rescue operation complicates efforts to reach a deal”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391353
    “Report: Biden administration considered unilateral deal with Hamas for American hostages;
    “Administration officials discussed holding talks, that would exclude Israel, for the release of the five US citizens still being held by the terror organization.”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391366

    + Bonus!
    “Report: US, Saudi Arabia closing in on mutual defense deal;
    “US and Saudi officials told WSJ that the deal is close to being finalized, but US approval may depend on it being tied to Israel-Saudi normalization, for which Saudis demand Israeli commitment to a Palestinian state.”—
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/391363

    Hey! Let’s play the Leverage game…say WHAT??

    File under: Israel’s GREATEST ALLY!!

  50. “Greatest” and “ally” now mean the completely opposite things as does “information” and “truth.” Life under the FJB junta.

  51. Mike Plaiss on June 9, 2024 at 3:51 pm said:
    It wasn’t this bad in *1860*… ?

    Thanks ObloodyHell. I needed a good laugh.

    I think that’s correct. In 1860 we had one major point of disagreement. Now, we can barely even discuss our differences.

  52. Come home Tony:

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/06/come-home-tony.php

    It seems that the success of the operation complicates things for the administration. They want continued Israeli failure.

    Caroline Glick indicates that people in US State have direct influence with IDF commanders on the ground and are bypassing Israeli government influencing operations. Lower level IDF is now going public about higher level people harming operations.

  54. Why not forget about fictional agents like Bond and Bourne dashing to save the world from disaster and forget about CIA and MI6 officers reclining on their couches dreaming up espionage scenarios to thrill you. Check out what a real MI6 and CIA secret agent does nowadays. Why not browse through TheBurlingtonFiles.org website and read about Bill Fairclough’s escapades when he was an active MI6 and CIA agent? The website is rather like an espionage museum without an admission fee … and no adverts. You will soon be immersed in a whole new world which you won’t want to exit.

    After that experience you may not know who to trust so best read Beyond Enkription, the first novel in The Burlington Files series. It’s a noir fact based spy thriller that may shock you. What is interesting is that this book is apparently mandatory reading in some countries’ intelligence agencies’ induction programs. Why? Maybe because the book is not only realistic but has been heralded by those who should know as “being up there with My Silent War by Kim Philby and No Other Choice by George Blake”. It is an enthralling read as long as you don’t expect fictional agents like Ian Fleming’s incredible 007 to save the world or John le Carré’s couch potato yet illustrious Smiley to send you to sleep with his delicate diction, sophisticated syntax and placid plots!

    See https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2023_06.07.php and https://theburlingtonfiles.org/news_2022.10.31.php.

  55. word of advice, Jim, don’t pitch your product after two traitors, right from the headlines like john stock, lego palace series, or cummings, akin to the revelations of tomlinson perhaps not shayler, because he cracked up,

  56. Miguel, your comment of June 9, 2024 at 12:58 pm which is one massive paragraph run-on sentence, is completely unreadable.

  57. apologies there has been speculation about how they came upon the house that held argamani, maybe the adjal family, but I tend to doubt it Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, has served as an intro the works of the Mossad, he relies a little too heavily on Benny Morris and other part revisionists, as well Bar Zohar for instance, Paul Vidich who is the nephew of Frank Olsen has rritten recently about that era,
    in his 4th book, which is most directly about Arafat, even all of them have been, the protagonists discovers the lead figure, based on Ali Salameh’s presumed kin through journalist and an PA security officer, who work for various secret services, Salameh worked with the CIA’s Robert Ames. the story of David Ignatius first book, Agents of Influence, where he relied on second and third hand conversations about the Lebanese Civil War’s origins, largely due to the efforts of one foolish Maronite prime Minister who they dubbed the Squirrel, when
    Mossad caught up to Salameh, it was Arafat’s intention to seek revenge against the Americans using Hezbollah, which involved many Lebanese trained under Iranian auspices,
    that would be Ibrahim Mugniyeh, that terror one saw on TV screens in the early 80s, that was Mugniyeh’s doing, that TWA on the tarmac in Beirut, the Embassy bombing the Marine Barracks et al,

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