Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, the two hostages rescued from Gaza by Israeli forces. The Hostage and Missing Families |
The Israeli military said Monday it has rescued two hostages during a special operation conducted overnight in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that came under sustained Israeli airstrikes throughout the night. The hostages are 60-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har, who were both taken 128 days ago during Hamas' October 7th attack on Israel. They are dual Israel-Argentine nationals, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The two are in good medical condition and have been transferred for Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer, said the Israel Defense Forces. The joint operation was done with the Israeli Security Agency and Israel Police, it said. IDF spokesperson Danial Hagari told reporters on Monday the "covert operation with extraction under fire" began at 1:49 a.m. local time, followed by aerial strikes. The Israeli forces encountered resistance, with the hostages escorted out under fire from Hamas, before they were taken to a safe place within Rafah for medical attention, he said. They were then airlifted out of Gaza by helicopter. The office of Argentina's President Javier Milei praised Israel for the rescue, and thanked the Israeli forces behind the operation. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hailed what he called an "impressive release operation" in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying he had followed the operation in the Command Center along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior commanders. Netanyahu released a statement Monday welcoming the two hostages back, and praising the Israeli forces. "Only the continuation of military pressure, until complete victory, will result in the release of all our hostages," he said. Netanyahu has been under mounting pressure from the Israeli public to secure the release of captives in Gaza, with some families of those held hostage being openly critical of the government's tactics. Both hostages had been kidnapped from the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz, Gallant said. Nir Yitzhak was one of multiple kibbutzim close to the border with Gaza that came under attack by Hamas militants during their October 7 rampage which saw some 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage. After Monday's rescue, the total number of hostages left in Gaza is 134, Hagari said. Of that number, 130 hostages are from the October 7 attack – with 29 dead and 101 believed to be alive. The other four had been held in Gaza prior to the attack. Most hostages are being held by Hamas, though some are also reportedly held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israel's response to the Hamas attack has wrought widespread devastation across Gaza. The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza said the cumulative toll since October 7 has risen to more than 27,500 killed. The sides have been unable to reach an agreement to release more hostages since one in November collapsed. That agreement resulted in a weeklong pause in fighting in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages, mostly elderly women and children. And previous attempts to rescue hostages in special operations have gone awry; in December, Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in Gaza after misidentifying them as threats. |
Palestinians walk by a residential building destroyed in an Israeli strike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, February 11, 2024. Hatem Ali/AP |
Rafah pounded by airstrikes The news of the hostage release comes as Rafah was being pounded by Israeli attacks. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said on Monday that more than 100 people were killed in overnight airstrikes on Rafah, and that the toll may increase as more people are still trapped under rubble. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers. The PRCS had previously said the city was experiencing "intense targeting." At least two mosques and around a dozen homes were targeted in the strikes, the Rafah municipality said on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Monday that they conducted "a series of strikes" on targets in the area of Shaboura, a district of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. "The strikes have concluded," the IDF said in a statement. Hamas condemned the strikes on Monday, calling them "forced displacement attempts" and "horrific massacres against defenseless civilians and displaced children, women, and the elderly." It also accused US President Joe Biden and his administration of bearing "full responsibility" for the civilian deaths. Rafah has become a last refuge for Palestinians fleeing south to avoid Israel's air and ground campaigns across the rest of the crowded enclave. More than 1.3 million people are believed to be in Rafah, the majority displaced from other parts of Gaza, according to the United Nations. And they have no remaining escape route; the city borders Egypt, and the sole crossing into that country has been closed for months along with the rest of Gaza's borders. Netanyahu has brushed off mounting criticism of plans for the ground assault – saying calls not to enter Rafah are like telling Israel to lose the war. He pledged to provide safe passage for civilians, but offered few details. |
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More on the Israel-Hamas war |
- Rafah operation: US President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday morning and "reaffirmed" his stance that Israel shouldn't proceed with the military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah "without a credible and executable plan" to ensure the safety of civilians. Biden also stressed the need to capitalize on the progress in the negotiations to secure the release of the remaining hostages. Netanyahu has directed the country's military to plan for the "evacuation of the population" from Rafah, his office said in a statement on Friday, ahead of an anticipated ground assault on the southern Gaza city. The plan has sparked concern from many countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
- On why it happened: Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's remarks that the October 7 Hamas attack was the "largest anti-Semitic massacre" of the 21st century. "The 'largest anti-Semitic massacre of our century'? No, Mr. Macron. The victims of October 7 were not killed because of their Judaism, but in response to Israel's oppression. France and the international community did nothing to prevent it. My respects to the victims," Albanese said in a social media post. Albanese said she condemned the attack and was "disappointed" that some had interpreted her comments as justifying Hamas' actions.
- Hind found dead: A 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car with her dead relatives after it came under Israeli fire in Gaza last month has been found dead. "The child (Hind Rajab) and everyone in the car were found killed by the Israeli Army near the Fares petrol station in the Tal Al-Hawa area, southwest of Gaza City," said Khader Al Za'anoun, a Palestinian journalist working for CNN who spoke to the child's grandfather. On January 29, Hind had been traveling in a car with her uncle, his wife and their four children, fleeing fighting in northern Gaza, when they came under Israeli fire, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Hind's cousin, 15-year-old Layan Hamadeh, made a desperate call for help to emergency services that was recorded by the PRCS and shared on social media. Audio of gunshots heard during the call revealed that Hamadeh was killed while making the call.
- Exports blocked: The Netherlands must stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel within seven days, a Dutch court ruled on Monday. "The court finds that there is a clear risk that Israel's F-35 fighter jets might be used in the commission of serious violations of international humanitarian law," the Hague Court of Appeal said in a statement. "This means that the export of F-35 parts from the Netherlands to Israel has to be stopped." Three non-governmental organizations — Oxfam Novib, Pax for Peace, and The Rights Forum — appealed a previous Dutch court decision that allowed the continued export of F-35 parts to Israel.
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"There is no total victory over Hamas if Israel reoccupies Gaza and kills many thousands more Palestinians," says former Israeli hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin. As Netanyahu orders the IDF to draw up an evacuation plan for Rafah, CNN's Becky Anderson asks if a ceasefire deal is still possible. |
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Thousands of displaced Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah say they are increasingly worried about what will happen when Israel's military pushes even further into southern Gaza. Four months into the war, aid groups say hospitals are barely functional and a full-blown famine is starting to set in for thousands. In this episode of the Tug of War podcast, CNN's Ivana Kottasová tells us why a push into Rafah could be so deadly and examines Israel's lack of progress in eliminating top Hamas leadership. |
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Saudi minister says energy transition behind Aramco capacity halt Saudi Arabia decided to halt its oil capacity expansion plans because of the energy transition, its energy minister said on Monday, adding that the kingdom has plenty of spare capacity to cushion the oil market, Reuters reported. "I think we postponed this investment simply because... we're transitioning," Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said at the IPTC petroleum technology conference in Dharan. - Background: The Saudi government on January 30 ordered state oil company Aramco to halt its oil expansion plan and to target a maximum sustained production capacity of 12 million barrels per day (bpd), 1 million bpd below a target announced in 2020, which was set to be reached in 2027.
- Why it matters: Saudi Arabia has said it aims to reach net zero emissions by 2060 and Aramco says it wants to reach net zero emissions from its own operations by 2050. Prince Abdulaziz said that the kingdom had a "huge cushion" of spare oil capacity in case of major disruptions to global supplies caused by conflict or natural disasters. "We are ready to tweak upward, downward, whatever the market necessity dictates," Prince Abdulaziz said.
India celebrates release of eight nationals detained in Qatar on reported spy charges Eight Indian nationals who were detained and sentenced to death in Qatar on reported espionage charges have been released, according to Indian authorities. "The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India," said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Monday. - Background: The eight were ex-servicemen of the Indian Navy, according to a letter dated December 2022 by an Indian minister and posted by another parliament member on X. They had been working for Dahra Global Technologies, a defense services provider based in Qatar, according to CNN News18. CNN affiliate CNN-News18 reported that the eight had been detained in August 2022 on spying charges. CNN cannot independently verify the charges. Their conviction in Qatar was shrouded in secrecy and Qatar has not publicly addressed the arrest, sentencing and subsequent release of the eight Indians.
- Why it matters: The case has garnered widespread attention in India and been framed as a test of diplomacy for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. Jairam Ramesh, a general secretary of India's main opposition party, demanded last year that the government "explain to the families and the people of India" why it had not yet secured the men's release more than seven months after their detention. He also highlighted the strong trade relationship between the two countries, saying the Indian diaspora made up a quarter of Qatar's population.
Three UAE soldiers killed in attack on military base in Somalia Three soldiers from the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces and an officer from the Bahrain Defense Force were killed in an attack at a military base in Somalia's capital, the UAE's defense ministry said Sunday. Reuters reported the al Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via a statement on its Radio al Andalus. - Background: UAE personnel had been training soldiers from the Somali Armed Forces as part of an agreement between the UAE and Somalia, the ministry said. Two others were injured during the attack, it added.
- Why it matters: An army officer told Reuters that the gunman was a newly trained Somali soldier. "The soldier opened fire on UAE trainers and Somali military officials when they started praying," the official said. "We understand the soldier had defected from al-Shabaab before he was recruited as a soldier by Somalia and UAE," the army official said. Al-Shabaab was designated as a terrorist group by the US in 2008 and by a UN Security Council committee in 2010.
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