The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) rescued four hostages held by Hamas on Saturday, including a person with both Polish and Israeli citizenship.
Israeli soldiers conducted two parallel raids on Hamas-owned facilities in central Gaza. The rescue operations were part of actions carried out in the al-Nuseirat area.
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated that the hostage rescue operation was “daring” and conducted under fire.
He said: “As part of the hostage rescue operation, we struck targets that were potential threats to our units. We struck from land, air, and sea.”
Israeli media reported that during the operation, one soldier from an elite Israeli army unit was seriously injured and is in the hospital.
Israeli authorities stated that the rescued hostages are Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrej Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv. Israeli Ambassador to Poland, Yacov Livne, informed that Almog Meir Jan holds both Polish and Israeli citizenship.Freed hostages Andrey Kozlov (white shirt) and Almog Meir Jan (black shirt) arriving in Israel
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 8, 2024
This morning, in a joint special operation held by the Israeli security forces 4 Israeli hostages were rescued from Gaza:
Noa Argamani (25)
Almog Meir Jan (21)
Andrey Kozlov (27)… pic.twitter.com/LTGSkHf92k
“One of the hostages heroically rescued today from Gaza by Israeli defense forces is Almog Meir Jan, an Israeli and Polish citizen. Incredible news!” Livne wrote on social media platform X.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski also commended the development.One of the hostages heroically rescued today from Gaza by Israeli defense forces is Almog Meir Jan, an Israeli and Polish citizen.
— Amb. Yacov Livne 🇮🇱 (@YacovLivne) June 8, 2024
Incredible news ! 🇮🇱 🇵🇱 https://t.co/mUg26bHVf5
“Bravo, IDF. May all hostages return home and may there be a just peace between Israel and Palestine,” he wrote on X.
Preliminary medical examinations indicated that all the rescued are in good condition. They were taken to Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel for further diagnostics.Brawo, IDF.
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) June 8, 2024
Oby wszyscy zakładnicy wrócili do domów a między Izraelem i Palestyną zapanował sprawiedliwy pokój. https://t.co/fMCLPcpMTN
Death of Polish hostages
A few days ago, the Israel Defense Forces reported the death of four Hamas hostages. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that among them were two Polish citizens.
The MFA spokesperson Paweł Wroński said that the personal details of the two individuals would not be disclosed.
Hamas-held hostages
During the October attack, Hamas kidnapped around 250 people. Nearly half were released as part of a week-long ceasefire in November.
Israel claims that more than 130 hostages remain in the hands of terrorists, about a quarter of whom are believed to be dead. Protests are regularly organized in the country, calling on the government to increase efforts to free the detained individuals.
The Israeli military has so far rescued seven hostages.
