A Joyous Reunion at Sheba Medical Center
Hugs, tears, and an eager audience awaited Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Shlomi Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov upon their arrival at Sheba Medical Center. This operation required ingenuity and courage of the highest degree, and our soldiers performed in an unmatchable way. Israeli forces rescued them from two separate apartments in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
A Rescue Compared to the Entebbe Raid
Many compared this daring rescue to the 1976 operation at Entebbe Airport, where 102 hostages were freed following the hijacking of a plane by Palestinian and German terrorists. This time, forces simultaneously stormed the buildings, rescuing Noa from one and the three men from the other. They were then taken to the beach and flown out on helicopters. Now, they are recovering from their eight-month ordeal.
The Hostages’ Emotional Recovery
The rescued hostages are very happy and communicative. They want to talk and share their experiences, and they are excited to meet family members and friends they have not seen in months. Gradually, the difficult and hard stories of their time in captivity are starting to come out. Israelis celebrated as news of the successful operation spread from the beach, where lifeguards announced the rescue, across the country and the world.
Noa Argamani’s Heartwarming Return
Noa Argamani is well-known for the terrifying video of her capture on October 7th. Her father, Yakov, thanked God and celebrated her release on his birthday. “After eight months of being apart from Noa, she has returned. Praise God,” he said. “Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion. I want to thank each and every one of you—the president, the prime minister, everyone.”Within hours of her arrival, Noa traveled to another hospital to visit her mother, who suffers from brain cancer. Fearing she might not see Noa again, Leora had appealed to Hamas for her daughter’s release.
The Ordeal of the Three Men
The three men—Almog Meir Jan, Shlomi Ziv, and Andrey Kozlov—were kept together in the home of a medical doctor, Ahmed Al Jamal. His son worked as a journalist, including time with Al Jazeera, a Qatari-based television station. “We are excited, we are very happy, we thank the IDF for a brilliant operation,” they said. Sadly, Almog Meir Jan’s father died of a heart attack hours before his son arrived home. Andrey Kozlov had immigrated to Israel by himself from Russia less than two years ago. His parents flew in to be with their son.
Honoring a Fallen Hero
Tragically, Arnon Zmora, the head of the unit that led the operation, died from wounds sustained in the battle to rescue the three men. In addition to the rescue, Arnon had been hailed as a hero on October 7th when he and his men saved the community of Yad Morai from a terrorist invasion. The government renamed the rescue operation after Arnon in his honor.
The Ongoing Crisis
Despite the successful rescue, there are still 120 hostages, about 80 of whom are believed to be alive. The nation remains hopeful and determined to bring them all home safely.
