The IDF released new footage of the daring rescue operation, dubbed “Operation Golden Hand,” that freed two hostages in southern Gaza – who were shocked to see the troops burst into their captors’ apartment.
Video from the heart of Rafah shows members of the IDF and Yamam special police force huddled around the hostages – Argentinian/Israeli citizens Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70 – as they escort them out of the apartment complex they were being held in.
The men were allegedly extracted from the building using ropes after the officers blew into the building and took out the Hamas terrorists guarding them, according to the Israeli Haaretz newspaper.
The brothers-in-law could be seen having trouble walking, with Har running barefoot in the debris-filled streets as the Israeli officers hurried them along to an armored vehicle waiting for them.
The armored vehicle was part of a large convoy accompanied by tanks that were operated by Israel’s Shayetet 13 commando unit, the IDF said.
Once they were inside the military vehicle, Har and Marman could be seen with huge smiles on their faces, laughing and sighing in relief as the soldiers strapped them in.
As they escaped from the battlefield, one of the commandos could be heard asking the men how they were, with one of the former hostages saying that he was “In shock,” according to a translation from the Times of Israel.
“Do you feel good,” another officer asks.
“Excellent,” replied Har, who was finally freed from his 129-day-long nightmare along with his brother-in-law.
The IDF said the officers provided the men with a pair of coats, with one giving up his own shoes for Har as the armored convoy transported them to a helipad site.
A military helicopter arrived shortly afterwards to transport the two men to the Sheba Medical Center, in Ramat Gan, where they were both listed in good condition.
During the rescue operation, the first of its kind since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, Har and Merman were shielded by Yamam officers, who used their bodies to guard the men from the bullets being fired by Hamas, the IDF said.
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military had known about the men’s location for “some time,” but held back on the raid until the moment was right.
After being treated and assessed at the hospital, Har and Merman were reunited with their family members, including relatives who were also kidnapped on Oct. 7 but freed during the hostage exchange in November.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday that the US was “pleased” to hear about the success of the rescue operation in Rafah.
While the US hopes that the remaining 134 hostages can be freed as well, he noted the troubling reports that about 100 people were killed in the airstrikes that were launched in Rafah to distract Hamas from the rescue mission.
“I can’t confirm those reports, but as we have said many times, the proper number of civilian casualties is zero,” Kirby said.