The decision to launch the operation which made it possible to free four hostages – Noa Argamani (25 years old), Almog Meïr (21 years old), Shlomi Ziv (40 years old) and Andreï Kozlov (27 years old) – alive this Saturday, was taken Thursday evening during a confidential meeting.
At 11 a.m. this morning, the green light was given by the IDF and the Shabak but also by the Prime Minister who followed the entire operation.
The four hostages were in Nuseirat, in a civilian environment, they were not held in a tunnel but in two different buildings of 3-4 floors near Gazan families paid by Hamas. Noa was alone on the first floor and the three men were detained together in another building on the third floor. The two buildings were located a few hundred meters from each other.
Israeli forces attacked both targets. Initially, it was considered to release Noa first, alone, since she was in a place that was easier to access. But the fear that this first operation would harm the chances of success of a second to free the other three, led the decision-makers to give the order to storm the two buildings at the same time.
Rescue of Noa Argamani
Noa Argamani said she heard a knock at the door and “suddenly out of nowhere, she heard that it was the IDF,” one of her relatives testified, “We came to save you,” he said. the soldiers said. “She was in shock.”
As expected by the security services, the rescue of the three other hostages was more complicated. It was during this assault that Arnon Zamora, a Yamam commando fighter, was killed. Numerous exchanges of fire took place. When the three hostages were able to get into the Israeli forces car, terrorists attempted to attack it with RPG missiles.
Everything almost failed when the car in which the three hostages were traveling encountered a technical problem and was immobilized. Terrorists fired on the vehicle. The men of Battalion 98 immediately came to the rescue and an IDF helicopter arrived, in broad daylight, in the heart of the Gaza Strip to exfiltrate them.
