Israel rescues two hostages in Gaza for the first time and causes at least 67 deaths in the operation

For the first time in more than four months of war in Gaza, the Israeli army released two hostages this Monday in a rescue operation: Fernando Simón Marman, 60, and Norberto Luis Har, 70, both civilians and with double Argentine-Israeli nationality. The maneuver, designed long ago while waiting for the opportune moment to launch it, has been accompanied by intense aerial and artillery bombardments as a diversionary maneuver that has caused at least 67 deaths in a few hours, according to the health authorities of the Strip. Hamas calls it a “massacre against unarmed civilians.” Army spokesman Daniel Hagari acknowledges the use of “intense firepower” necessary to carry out a “complex rescue operation under fire in the heart of the city of Rafah,” Israel's next target and of which intends to displace more than a million Palestinians.

It is an unusual success at a time of internal doubts about war strategy. The special forces – protagonists in the past of liberations that have ended up acquiring mythological character – had only managed to bring back one soldier in 129 days of war. The army has also admitted to rescue attempts that ended in failure and with casualties, and to having mistakenly killed at least four kidnapped people, three of them despite white flags and messages in Hebrew written with food remains.

The operation also gives Netanyahu a break just when his approach to the hostage issue is most questioned. The families accuse him of sacrificing them to get a “victory photo.” An internal Israeli military investigation concluded last week that one of the hostages most likely died in an aerial bombardment. The exchange for Palestinian prisoners that has been negotiated for weeks has not come to fruition and the prime minister insists almost daily on the importance of force, also to recover the kidnapped. He did it again this Monday, in a statement: “Fernando and Luis, welcome home. I salute our brave fighters for the daring action that led to their release. Only continued military pressure, until total victory, can bring about the release of all our hostages.” After this Monday's rescue, there are 134, at least 31 of them dead.

The two released are in good health, the hospital confirmed after carrying out an initial examination. They are brothers-in-law and were captured in the October 7 attack on a kibbutz near Gaza, along with three relatives: Clara Marman, Har's wife; her sister Gabriela Leimberg and the second's teenage daughter, Mia Leimberg. The three, also with Argentine nationality, were able to return to their homes at the end of November, thanks to the exchange between Israel and Hamas of 105 hostages for 240 Palestinian prisoners during a week-long ceasefire.

The office of the Argentine Presidency has expressed its gratitude for the operation. Javier Milei has just finished a visit to Israel, in which he showed strong support for the country, reaffirmed his promise to move the Embassy to Jerusalem and described Hamas as “modern Nazism.” The office recalls in the statement that Milei asked both Netanyahu and the president, Isaac Herzog, for the release of all the Argentine hostages, around 10.

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