In this photo provided by the Israeli military, shows an Israeli Air Force helicopter carrying two released hostages, at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, Monday, Feb, 12. 2024. The Israeli military said early Monday that it had rescued two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip. It said the two men were rescued in the southern Gaza town of Rafah and were in good condition at an Israeli hospital. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip 鈥� The Israeli military said it rescued two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip early Monday, marking a small but symbolically significant success in its quest to bring home over 100 captives believed to be held by the Hamas militant group.
The hostages were released in a raid that included a series of Israeli strikes in Rafah, the city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where 1.4 million Palestinians have fled to escape fighting elsewhere in the Israel-Hamas war. At least seven people were killed.
Israel has described Rafah as the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza after more than four months of war and signaled that its ground offensive may soon target the densely populated city. On Sunday, the White House said President Joe Biden had warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should not conduct a military operation against Hamas in Rafah without a 鈥渃redible and executable鈥� plan to protect civilians.
READ: Netanyahu says 鈥榚nough鈥� remaining Israeli hostages alive to warrant Gaza war
The army identified the rescued hostages as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who it said were kidnapped by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yizhak in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the war. Both were airlifted to Sheba Hospital in central Israel and were reported to be in good medical condition. They are just the second and third hostages to be rescued safely. A female soldier was rescued in November.
Monday鈥檚 raid included at least 15 airstrikes, flares and Apache helicopter fire, witnesses said. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a military spokesman, said the operation was based on 鈥減recise intelligence,鈥� and that the site, located on the second floor of a building, had been watched for some time. He said Netanyahu joined Israel鈥檚 military chief and other top officials as the raid unfolded.
Hamas militants killed an estimated 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others in the Oct. 7 raid. An Israeli air and ground offensive has killed over 28,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, displaced over 80% of the population and led to a massive humanitarian crisis.
Over 100 hostages were freed during a weeklong cease-fire in November. Israel says about 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity, while Hamas is holding the remains of roughly 30 others who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity. Three hostages were mistakenly killed by the army after escaping their captors in December.
The remaining hostages are believed to be spread out and hidden in tunnels, likely in poor conditions. The rescue is a moral booster for Israelis, but it鈥檚 a small step toward winning the release of all of them.
Har鈥檚 son-in-law, Idan Bergerano, told Israel鈥檚 Channel 13 TV that he and his wife were able to see the released captives at the hospital. He said the two men were thin, but communicating well and aware of their surroundings. Bergernano said Har told him immediately upon seeing him: 鈥淵ou have a birthday today, mazal tov.鈥�
Israel has made the return of all hostages one of the main goals of the war. Netanyahu has vowed to press ahead with Israel鈥檚 military offensive until a 鈥渢otal victory鈥� that also includes destroying Hamas鈥� military and governing capabilities.
Concerns about Rafah
The strikes hit around Rafah鈥檚 Kuwait Hospital early Monday morning, an Associated Press journalist in Rafah said. Some of those wounded in the strikes had been brought to the hospital.
The Israeli military earlier said it struck 鈥渢error targets in the area of Shaboura鈥� 鈥� which is a district in Rafah.
Palestinian health officials did not immediately offer any casualty information. The army said it had killed at least three militants in the raid. An AP journalist counted seven bodies.
Netanyahu has said sending ground troops into Rafah is essential to meeting Israel鈥檚 war goals. Biden has urged Israel to exercise extreme caution before moving in. An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians 鈥� more than half of Gaza鈥檚 population 鈥� are now crammed into Rafah, increasing its population five-fold. Hundreds of thousands of people are now living in sprawling tent camps and overcrowded U.N. shelters.
Biden鈥檚 remarks, made in a phone call with Netanyahu late Sunday, were his most forceful language yet on the possible operation. Biden, who last week called Israel鈥檚 military response in Gaza 鈥渙ver the top,鈥� also sought 鈥渦rgent and specific鈥� steps to strengthen humanitarian aid. Israel鈥檚 Channel 13 TV said the conversation lasted 45 minutes.
READ: Mediators warn of disaster if Israel launches Rafah ground invasion
Discussion of the potential for a cease-fire agreement took up much of the call, a senior U.S. administration official said, and after weeks of diplomacy, a 鈥渇ramework鈥� is now 鈥減retty much鈥� in place for a deal that could see the release of remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a halt to fighting.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations, acknowledged that 鈥済aps remain,鈥� but declined to give details. The official said military pressure on Hamas in the southern city of Khan Younis in recent weeks helped bring the group closer to accepting a deal.
Netanyahu鈥檚 office declined to comment on the call. Hamas鈥� Al-Aqsa television station earlier quoted an unnamed Hamas official as saying any invasion of Rafah would 鈥渂low up鈥� the talks mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
Biden and Netanyahu spoke after two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat said Egypt threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if troops are sent into Rafah. The Camp David peace accords have been a cornerstone of regional stability for over 40 years. Egypt fears a mass influx of Palestinian refugees who may never be allowed to return.
Where would civilians go?
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries have also warned of severe repercussions if Israel goes into Rafah.
鈥淎n Israeli offensive on Rafah would lead to an unspeakable humanitarian catastrophe and grave tensions with Egypt,鈥� European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell wrote on X. Human Rights Watch said forced displacement is a war crime.
Inside Rafah, some displaced people packed up again. Rafat and Fedaa Abu Haloub, who fled Beit Lahia in the north earlier in the war, placed their belongings onto a truck. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know where we can safely take him,鈥� Fedaa said of their baby. 鈥淓very month we have to move.鈥�
Om Mohammad Al-Ghemry, displaced from Nuseirat, said she hoped Egypt would not allow Israel to force Palestinians to flee into the Sinai 鈥渂ecause we do not want to leave.鈥�
Heavy fighting continues in central Gaza and Khan Younis.
Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry said Sunday that the bodies of 112 people killed across the territory had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours. The death toll is 28,176 since the start of the war. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but says most of those killed were women and children.