IDF says four hostages, including Noa Argamani, rescued in Gaza daring operation.

The Israeli military rescued four hostages in a daring operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, on June 8, 2024. The operation, named "Operation Arnon," involved two separate raids targeting the buildings where the hostages were held. The hostages were identified as Noa Argamani (25), Shlomi Ziv (40), Almog Meir Jan (21), and Andrey Kozlov (27), who were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023, and held captive for over seven months.

The operation was a joint effort by the IDF, Shin Bet, and police, and was supported by hundreds of IDF soldiers of the 98th Division, including the Navy Commando Shayetet 13 and the Paratrooper, Kfir, and 7th Armored Brigades. The operation was guided by army chiefs, police, and the Shin Bet from the headquarters of the internal security agency.

The operation began with a covert movement in broad daylight to the buildings where the hostages were held. The IDF used explosives to force entry into the buildings, and the hostages were extracted under fire by Israeli commandos. The commandos provided protection to the hostages as they were evacuated from the area.

The operation was a success, and the hostages were safely returned to Israel. However, the Israeli strikes during the operation resulted in the deaths of at least 52 people and injured dozens more in Rafah, according to Hamas.
The successful rescue of the four hostages brought much-needed hope to the families of the 134 hostages still being held by Hamas, as well as across the entire State of Israel.

This was one of the most complicated hostage rescue missions in history.”The operation to rescue the hostages from Nusayrat was named "Summer Seeds" and is defined by the IDF as one of the most complex ever for hostage rescue.

The hostages were held in a heavily civilian-populated area, above ground, in buildings of 3-4 stories. The IDF forces stormed the two separate targets where the hostages were held, with Noa held on the first floor and Andrey, Shlomi, and Almog on the third floor of another building, hundreds of meters apart.

Hamas moved the four hostages from apartment to apartment, and the concern was that if the forces only stormed one building, the terrorists would escape with the hostages in the second building.

The Air Force gathered intelligence from the air in the last few days, and the IDF and Shin Bet created conditions to reach the targets without the terrorists shooting the hostages first, which was key to the operation's success.

The models built by the Yamam (Israel's counter-terrorism unit) reminded senior military officials of the models established for the Entebbe operation, with buildings, streets, and small areas for practice. The main problem was in the apartment where Andrey, Almog, and Shlomi were held and where Yamam fighter Arnon Zamora was killed.

The rescue took place under heavy fire, and during the disengagement, dozens of terrorists with RPGs and machine guns ran through the alleys toward the targets.

As a result, uninvolved Gazan civilians were also killed in the dense fire exchange. The military said, "The difference between success and failure in such an operation is a hair's breadth, and we relied on exceptional technology from the Intelligence and Shin Bet. Without ground activity and maneuvering in the Gazan area, it would not have been possible to succeed in such operations."

The IDF also noted that Commander Zamora's heroism made the rescue possible. "Shin Bet and Intelligence Directorate fighters entered the lion's den in the refugee camp and dismantled houses in areas where we hadn't maneuvered," they said. This is bravery on the level of Judah Maccabee. The operation was planned for weeks, with drills, rescue plans, and fires executed, alongside scenarios of cases and responses."

The forces simultaneously broke into the two houses with special weapons developed for the operation. Immediately after extracting the hostages, the forces began to withdraw while fighting dozens of terrorists, but a vehicle with the three hostages got stuck and came under heavy fire. Division 98 forces jumped in to assist in the vehicle rescue battle, and rescue helicopters entered deep into the strip in daylight.

Three brigades participated in the rescue battle, during which Zamora was also evacuated to the hospital: Brigade 7, Paratroopers, and Kfir with Flotilla 13, along with other special forces. "The fire plan that was executed was focused but extremely powerful," the IDF added. "The cooperation with Shin Bet and Yamam rose to several levels into a single operational system, under the direction of the Shin Bet chief and the Chief of Staff. Four keys to the operation: deception, surprise, determination, and power."

To maintain the secrecy of the operation, thousands of soldiers in the brigades who participated in the rescue were unaware of the nature of the operation before it happened to preserve the element of surprise.

Only a handful of commanders were exposed to the operation yesterday at various levels. These forces were positioned at the correct launch points without revealing the secret. During the operation, soldiers were also lightly injured, mainly from shrapnel.