Israel released photographs Saturday of the joyous reunions of four rescued hostages with their families following a daring special forces raid in Nuseirat, central Gaza — along with a photograph of one of the Israeli soldiers who was killed in the operation.
Bringing them home:
The moment we rescued 3 of the 4 hostages from the heart of Gaza. pic.twitter.com/NkQvXJ9ChT— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 8, 2024
Argamani was among the most iconic of the hostages, with footage of her abduction on a motorcycle being shown repeatedly after the October 7 Hamas terror attack.
בלתי מעורבים עזתים או איך שאוהבים לקרוא להם ”חפים מפשע” חוטפים את בני הזוג נועה ארגמני ואבינתן אור
Non-involved Gazans or as they like to call them “innocents” kidnap the couple Noa Argamani and Ebintan Or pic.twitter.com/7t7glThb73
— ינון בן חמו – inon – إينون (@inonbh6) December 20, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the news:
Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a statement:
With overwhelming emotions we received the very moving news about the rescue from captivity of Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, who were kidnapped on October 7th from the music festival in Re’im and were finally reunited with their loved ones. On behalf of the entire people of Israel, I thank the IDF, the Israeli Security Agency (Shabak), the Israel Police, and the Israel Defense Forces for an impressive and courageous rescue operation. I wish for the immediate return of all the hostages to their families. Am Yisrael Chai!
The Government Press Office released photos of the hostages greeting their families, and Netanyahu:
The IDF released a statement honoring the memory of Arnon Zamora, a member of the Israel Police force who was killed in action during the rescue:
Arnon Zamora, a member of the Israel Police killed in action during the hostage rescue of June 8, 2024. Arnon Zamora (Israel Police via Times of Israel)
The IDF mourns the fallen Israel Police ‘Yamam’ (National Counter-Terrorism Unit) Squad Commander, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora. Arnon is an Israeli hero, who loved and protected his country. He led the force that rescued the four hostages from the central Gaza Strip and returned them to Israel.
The IDF salutes his memory. The IDF expresses its deepest condolences to Arnon’s family at this difficult time. May his memory be a blessing.
The IDF later added:
The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, spoke with the commander of the ‘Yamam’ Unit, Assistant Commissioner “H”, at the end of the complex operation, and expressed his great appreciation for the brave and determined action of the unit’s forces in the rescue operation and throughout the war. The Chief of the General Staff and the commander of the ‘Yamam’ Unit concluded that the operation would be called “Operation Arnon” in the IDF, in recognition of the unit’s performance throughout the war and the sacrifice of ‘Yamam’ Squad Commander, Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora. Arnon Zamora, 36, a brave and valuable officer, left behind a wife and two children. On October 7th, he led the battle at the Yad Mordechai Junction, eliminating dozens of terrorists and preventing the terrorists from infiltrating northwards. He then went on to fight in the battle at Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Be’eri. Arnon was part of the force that broke into the apartment where the hostages were being held, was severely injured during a battle, and later died in the hospital.
The Biden administration welcomed the news of the hostage rescue and called for a return to negotiations with the Hamas terrorist organization to allow for the release of other hostages.
