Clive Myrie (00:00):
Four Israeli hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7th attacks have now been reunited with their families after a military operation deep inside Gaza to free them. Israeli special forces raided two locations in Nuseirat in central Gaza in broad daylight, with a spokesman saying they came under heavy fire. One Israeli soldier died. But Hamas says more than 200 Palestinians were killed in the operation although that figure is disputed. Hugo Bachega has more from Tel Aviv.
Hugo Bachega (00:32): A dramatic rescue, and she's free again. Twenty-five-year-old Noa Argamani, captured by Hamas on the 7th of October and taken to Gaza, is finally back in Israel. She became one of the most well-known faces of this crisis, her kidnapping recorded in this video. Today, her ordeal came to an end. This is her reunited with her dad.
Yaakov Argamani (00:57): [foreign language 00:01:01].
Translator 1 (01:01): Please don't forget that there are another 120 hostages in captivity. We must release them and make every effort in any way to bring them to Israel and their families. (01:12) By the way, it's my birthday. Look, what a gift I got.
Hugo Bachega (01:18): Also freed: Andrei Kozlov, who's 27, Shlomi Ziv, 40, and Almog Meir Jan, 21. Eight months ago, they were in the Nova Music Festival in Southern Israel when Hamas gunmen attacked. More than 360 people were killed here. This morning, the Israeli military carried out a raid of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Central Gaza. There were heavy airstrikes. Special forces went in. The military, said this was a complex operation, and based on intelligence information. The four hostages, it said, were found at two separate locations in the heart of the camp and were brought out under fire.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari (02:05): Israeli forces have been preparing for this rescue mission for weeks. They underwent intensive training. They risked their lives to save the lives of our hostages.
Hugo Bachega (02:18): If there was relief in Israel, the operation meant yet more suffering in Gaza. At the al-Aqsa hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, chaos and desperation. Doctors struggled to treat all the wounded. Many arrived already dead.
Speaker 6 (02:33): [foreign language 00:02:36].
Translator 2 (02:35): We were at home. A rocket hit us. My two cousins died. My other two cousins were seriously injured. They did nothing. They were sitting at home.
Hugo Bachega (02:47): The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited the freed hostages in a hospital near Tel Aviv. He's being urged to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas. Today's rescue could help lift some of the pressure.
Clive Myrie (03:03): Indeed, Hugo. One wonders what all this could mean for ceasefire talks.
Hugo Bachega (03:10): Well, Clive, this is the key question after this rescue. Just hours ago here in Tel Aviv, thousands of people joined a protest demanding a deal with Hamas for the remaining hostages to be freed. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is under pressure to accept a proposal that was laid out by President Biden that includes not only the release of hostages, but also paves the way for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, which is a contentious point here in Israel. This rescue operation has been seen as a success by the Israeli authorities and could change the calculations of the Prime Minister. But many will say that what happened today is proof that it is urgent to reach a ceasefire. Two hospitals say at least 70 people were killed during this operation, and the head of the Palestinian authority described it as a bloody massacre.
Clive Myrie (04:00): Okay, Hugo. Thank you. Hugo Bachega there live in Tel Aviv.