'High-risk, complex mission': Four Israeli hostages rescued from Gaza

Eight months on, the Israeli military has made a dramatic rescue of four hostages taken by Hamas on October 7. Ian Woods reports

Four Israeli hostages were rescued alive in the central Gaza Strip, the Israeli Defence Forces announced on Saturday.

The rescued hostages are named as Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40.

In a joint statement, the IDF, Israel Securities Authority (ISA) and Israel Police said the hostages were rescued "from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat."

"They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations," the statement added.

Rishi Sunak said it is a “huge relief” to see the return of hostages.

“We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all,” the prime minister said in a post on X.

Freeing the hostages by force came at a price for Palestinians, with more than 200 killed during the operation, according to the UN.

Israel's Channel 12 said the rescue force went into the heavily populated Nuseirat camp and burst into the two apartments where the hostages were, killing the captors.

Palestinian casualties taken to Al Aqsa hospital, the closest functioning hospital to Israel's latest attack. Doctors based at the hospital described the situation at the hospital as "catastrophic". They reported multiple severely injured people waiting for treatment in a cramped, blood-stained space.

The four Israeli hostages had been abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Supernova music festival near the southern community of Re’im last year.

In a press conference on Saturday, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said it was a "high-risk and complex mission that was based on precise intelligence conducted in daylight in two separate building deep inside Gaza."

"While under fire, under fire inside the buildings, under fire on the way out from Gaza, our forces rescued our hostages.

"Israeli forces have been preparing for his rescue mission for weeks. They underwent intensive training. They risked their lives to save the lives of our hostages.

"When we are happy, and and our four hostages are home, we will not lose sight that 120 hostages are still being held by Hamas in Gaza - men, women, children.

"We will not stop fighting for their freedom."

On October 7, Hamas stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

The video of Noa's abduction - on the back of a motorcycle - was among the first to surface.

The video shows two men on a motorcycle and Noa on the back, with one arm outstretched and the other held down as she screamed: “Don’t kill me!”

In mid-January, Hamas released a video of her in captivity, in which she appeared gaunt and under duress, speaking about other hostages killed in airstrikes and frantically calling on Israel to bring her and others home.

Another video released on Saturday shows Noa reuniting with her father, who has been campaigning for her return alongside her terminally-ill mother Liora Argamani.

Israel's Channel 13 said Noa was moved to the hospital where her mother is being treated. Her father, Yaakov, whose birthday it was on Saturday, said: "I never believed I would receive a present like this."

In a video message released by the government, an elated Argamani told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone she was "very excited," saying she hasn't heard Hebrew in so long.

Saturday’s operation is the largest recovery of alive hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total of rescued captives to seven.

In a statement, Netanyahu vowed to continue the fighting until all hostages are freed. The operation was "daring in nature, planned brilliantly".

Hamas kidnapped some 250 hostages during its attack on southern Israel on October 7, which triggered the Israel-Hamas war.

About half were released in a weeklong cease-fire in November.

Israel says more than 130 hostages remain, with about a quarter of those believed dead, and divisions are deepening in the country over the best way to bring them home.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians in its figures.

Palestinians face widespread hunger because fighting and Israeli restrictions have largely cut off the flow of aid.

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