Amidst intense airstrikes, the Israeli military frees two captives from Rafah in Gaza

On Monday, the Israeli military carried out a special nocturnal operation in Gaza’s southern Rafah district to free two captives who had been abducted by Hamas on October 7. During the intense Israeli airstrikes that occurred during the rescue attempt, 37 individuals are believed to have died and several more injured.

Two males, Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70), were liberated from a residential building by the Israel Defence Force (IDF), Israel’s internal Shin Bet security organization, and the Special Police Unit in Rafah, according to the Israeli military.

According to the military, the freed captives are in “good condition” and have been sent to Israel for further medical testing. “Two Israeli hostages from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak were rescued during a joint operation between the IDF, ISA, and Israel Police,” the IDF said on X (previously known as Twitter).

According to Reuters, Israeli military spokesperson Lt Col. Richard Hecht described the operation as “complex” and said that it was based on “precise intelligence.” “We’ve been working on this operation for a very long time. As the operation took place, Israel’s military leader, along with other senior officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said, “We were waiting for the right conditions.”

Two mosques and other homes were struck by Israeli aircraft, tanks, and ships during the bombings, which also created extreme fear in Rafah, according to Reuters. The Israeli military said that the assaults had “concluded” a few hours later, although they did not elaborate.

This occurred one week after Netanyahu turned down a cease-fire proposal from Hamas to guarantee the release of captives still detained in the besieged enclave. Netanyahu said that “enough” of the 132 hostages who were still being held in Gaza were still alive in an interview with the local media on Sunday, which supported Israel’s attack in the area.

Israel-Hamas conflict
After an assault by Hamas on October 7 that claimed the lives of almost 1,200 Israelis, Israel and Hamas went to war. Israel has been hitting Gaza nonstop since then, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emphasized that his nation would not go up on the conflict until it is won. Over 28,000 people have died in the conflict so far, and many more have been wounded and forced to flee.