Rare helmet cam footage of the dramatic hostage rescue by our YAMAM officers (Israel Police National Counterterrorism Unit) and brave Israeli security forces! pic.twitter.com/zLiXyHVvCV
— Israel Police (@israelpolice) June 10, 2024
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On Monday night the Israel Police released a video showing its special forces over the weekend as they rescued the four Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza – abductees Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Shlomi Ziv (40) and Andrey Kozlov (27). The rescue operation has since been named “Operation Arnon,” named for police special forces unit commander Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora who was killed during the rescue.
The hostages were held in Nuseirat in central Gaza. They were kept in the home of Gaza journalist Abdullah Jamal who once worked for Al Jazeera and was an operative of the terrorist organization Hamas. Jamal was killed during the rescue.
In the video, you can see the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) units and the Shin Bet’s (Israel’s anti-terror General Security Service) operational unit breaking into the room where Andrey, Shlomi and Almog were being held.
After a loud explosion, the Israeli forces can be heard in the video shouting to the hostages they came to rescue, “Everything is fine, we came to rescue you, be calm.”
Almog Meir Jan, Shlomi Ziv and Andrey Kozlov can be seen huddling together for safety as the Israeli forces reassure them.
The hostages were held captive for 246 days by Hamas terrorists.
Noa Argamani, Almog Meir, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were abducted by Hamas terrorists during the massacre at the Nova Festival held near the Gaza border. This was just one of many such massacres committed by Hamas on that day. The successful rescue operation marked a significant victory against terrorism and underscored the IDF’s commitment to the safety and security of Israeli citizens.
After the rescue images of the freed hostages smiling while reunited with loved ones were released. However, in an interview with Israel’s N12 News, Prof. Itai Pesach, director of the Safra Children’s Hospital at Tel Hashomer, explained how while the four freed hostages may be happy for now, they have suffered a great deal and sometimes symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can take a long time to manifest themselves.