Israel Rescues Four Hostages Kidnapped by Hamas: 'We Are Overjoyed'

Israel says it safely rescued four hostages that were captured by Hamas during the October 7 Hamas attacks. The IDF said the hostages, three men and one woman, were rescued in the largest hostage rescue operation since the war with Hamas began in Gaza.

Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Shlomi Ziv, 41, and Andrey Kozlov, 27, were rescued in two separate locations in a complex special daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat in central Gaza. They had been held in captivity by the terrorist group for 246 days.

Argamani has been one of the most widely recognized hostages since she was abducted from a music festival in southern Israel. The video of her abduction was among the first to surface, images of her horrified face widely shared — Argamani detained between two men on a motorcycle, one arm outstretched and the other held down as she screams “Don’t kill me!”

Her mother, Liora, has stage four brain cancer and in April released a video pleading to see her daughter before she dies. Officers of the National Police special anti-terror unit of Yamam along with Shin Bet agents simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings to pluck the hostages to safety.

Argamani was rescued at one site, while Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were at the second location. During the operation, Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, an officer in the special anti-terror unit of Yamam, was critically injured and later died from his injuries. (FN / VFI News)

“Lord, we thank You for the rescue of our four hostages and we are also extremely grateful for our defense forces that worked tirelessly to ensure this result. We send our sincerest condolences to the family of Chief Inspector Zmora and we thank him for his work, efforts, and integrity. May You cover his family with Your undying love and provide them with comfort during this difficult time. We also pray for the immediate release of all remaining hostages without any additional loss of human lives in Yeshua’s name.”

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