The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday claimed it had managed to safely rescue two hostages from Hamas captivity during a special operation in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, according to a report in The Times of Israel.
The two freed hostages have been identified as Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Norberto Louis Har (70) who were extracted in a joint operation by IDH, Israel Police and Shun Bet. They were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7.
Notably, Monday’s operation is only the second time since the October 7 Hamas attacks that the IDF has conducted a successful rescue operation to free the hostages.
The news also comes after Israel launched fresh air strikes on Rafah, killing at least 52. The attack came hours after US President Joe Biden urged Israel to not attack the region housing millions of displaced Palestinians.
According to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, the strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in different parts of Rafah.
The Israeli military also confirmed the attacks saying it had “conducted a series of strikes on terror targets in the area of Shaboura in the southern Gaza Strip”.
