Israel carried out a special forces operation to free two Israeli hostages in Rafah amid airstrikes early this morning that local health officials said killed 37 people and wounded dozens in the southern Gaza city.
Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Hare (70) were freed in Rafah by a joint operation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the Israeli security service Shin Bet and special police units, the Israeli army announced.
The two men were abducted by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, the army said.
“It was a very complex operation,” said the spokesman of the Israeli army, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht.
“We worked on this operation for a long time. We were waiting for the right conditions,” he said.
The hostages were held on the second floor of a building that was breached by an explosive charge during the raid, which saw a heavy exchange of fire, Hecht said.
The Israeli military said the airstrike on Rafah coincided with an operation to allow its forces to withdraw.
The airstrikes caused widespread panic in Rafah because many people were asleep when the attacks began, said residents contacted by Reuters using a chat app. Some feared that Israel had begun its ground offensive on the Rafah.
Israeli planes, tanks and ships took part in the attacks, and two mosques and several houses were hit, according to residents.
Hamas said in a statement that the attack on Rafah was a continuation of the “genocidal war” and attempted forced displacement that Israel was waging against the Palestinian people.
