Every little thing about Operation Arnon, the audacious rescue of 4 Israeli hostages – Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41 – from two closely guarded buildings in Al-Nuseirat, Gaza, appeared to be mission unimaginable.
For starters, the raid – by undercover operatives of Yamam, the secretive anti-terrorism unit of the Israeli police, and Shin Wager, the Israeli equal of MI5 – passed off in broad daylight, not beneath cowl of darkness.
It additionally concerned attacking two buildings filled with closely armed males concurrently, slap bang in the midst of one of many world’s most overcrowded refugee camps and an space already teeming with Hamas terrorists who had been anticipating a raid for weeks and had constructed up safety and fortifications accordingly.
But it surely was meticulously designed, deliberate ‘like a surgical mind operation’ by Israeli forces, was primarily based on weeks of covert surveillance and relied on being the ‘final shock’.
Noa Argamani is reunited together with her father following the audacious rescue of 4 Israeli hostages in Operation Arnon
Astonishingly, all 4 hostages had been rescued, but it surely was practically a complete catastrophe.
It additionally appears to have come at an appalling price to the residents of Al-Nuseirat, with claims that tons of had been killed and injured.
Over the past couple of days, conflicting accounts of what did – and didn’t – occur have been circulating.
So, what’s the reality?
Right here, we convey you a definitive blow-by-blow report of one of the crucial daring and harmful rescue operations in trendy occasions.
Early Might
Israeli intelligence officers uncover that Noa Argamani is being held in a low-rise house block close to the Al-Nuseirat market.
The 26-year-old was kidnapped, alongside together with her boyfriend Avinatan Or, from the Nova music pageant in Southern Israel when Hamas launched its October 7 assault.
A video of her abduction, exhibiting her between two males on a motorbike screaming ‘Don’t kill me!’, made her one of the crucial recognised hostages.
In January, she additionally appeared in a hostage video alongside fellow captives Yossi Sharabi, 53, and Itai Svirsky, 38, each of whom had been later reported to have been killed.
Officers additionally uncover three extra hostages – Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv – are being held barely 200 metres from Noa by Hamas terrorist Abdullah Al-Jamal, at his house alongside his household in one other house block.
Yamam operatives assemble replicas of the 2, three and four-storey buildings the place the hostages are held to allow them to simulate the rescue missions.
Two weeks in the past
Two groups made up of a number of dozen Yamam and Shin Wager particular forces operatives smuggle themselves into the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp from an undisclosed location. Some arrived on foot, others in dusty autos – all disguised as refugees and talking Arabic.
Particular forces made up of undercover operatives of Yamam and Shin Wager encompass one among two closely guarded buildings in Al Nuseirat, Gaza
They then storm the house and are greeted by a hail of bullets from the terrorists
They discover two hostages being held by Hamas terrorist Abdullah Al Jamal who’re shocked, silent and undecided who to belief
Thursday, June 6
Warfare Cupboard dissolves amid fallout over hostage deal whereas particular forces secretly begin making closing preparations to rescue 4 of the captives.
Saturday, June 8
10:45 am
Israeli floor surveillance and airborne technological monitoring verify the world is evident, with no suspicious motion detected within the two buildings.
10.58 am
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant meets nation’s prime army brass within the Command Room. Following approval from Gallant, Lt Gen Halevi, head of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, orders Yamam, the particular counter terror police unit: ‘Go!’
As soon as the inexperienced gentle is given, all communication with the operatives on the bottom is lower to take away any probability of the enemy selecting up radio chatter and blowing the mission.
11.00 am
The central market in Al-Nuseirat is teeming with refugees doing their buying, together with tons of of Hamas terrorists.
Not less than 50 members of Israeli particular forces are hiding amongst them. Some, disguised as displaced Gazans escaping the IDF operation in Rafah, had arrived in a white automobile with a mattress strapped to the roof as cowl, and rented a base close to the busy market. Others pose as members of the resistance, sporting helmets and resistance badges.
A second group, additionally posing as displaced individuals, arrived in vans stuffed with furnishings.
All head, beneath cowl, for the central market space the place their targets are the 2 low-rise house blocks, 200 metres aside.
Within the first constructing, Noa is beneath armed guard. She has been held with a comparatively rich household, who allegedly compelled her to wash for them and stored telling her: ‘Thank God that we’re the household you ended up with.’
Within the second constructing are the three males. Each buildings are inhabited by Gazan households in addition to Hamas guards.
11.25 am
Two groups of between 20 and 25 Israeli elite particular forces snake in direction of the 2 buildings.
‘They got here out of the vans in Yamam uniforms – after which the whole lot began,’ Zohar Dvir, former head of the Nationwide Counter Terrorism Unit, tells the Day by day Mail.
Israeli forces blast their manner into every compound concurrently – any delay between the 2 teams and Hamas would have executed the remaining hostages – and enter from each attainable entry level to maximise chaos and confusion.
In Noa’s constructing, some operatives climb in utilizing a ladder; others take the steps. Her guards are ‘stunned fully’ and are killed instantly by Israeli forces.
Noa can be shocked when the door to her room opens abruptly and a soldier says: ‘Hello Noa, it’s the IDF.’
At first, after eight months of captivity, she assumes it’s a joke and doesn’t transfer. However then the solider says: ‘I’m going to place you over my shoulder, all proper?’ They usually set off.
She is extracted in lower than 60 seconds. As they exit, her rescuers message again to base with the code phrase ‘Diamond’ to substantiate they’ve her.
11.26 am
Within the second constructing, the staff is greeted by a storm of fireside from militants.
The elite Yamam unit’s Chief Inspector, Arnon Zmora, is shot within the head as they enter the home.
As different Israeli forces advance up the steps, they shoot and kill any residents they see, together with Hamas terrorist Abdullah Al-Jamal alongside along with his spouse, each 36, and father, Dr Ahmed, 74.
Their daughter Zainab, 27, can be wounded.
The hostages he was holding are shocked and silent and undecided who to belief – till the Yamam groups shout: ‘That is the IDF, we got here to rescue you!’
They’re fitted with ceramic bullet-proof vests and raced to the exit on foot.
Almog Meir Jan, 22, raises his hand in celebration as he is delivered to the Sheba Medical Centre in Ramat Gan, Israel
Shlomi Ziv, 41, was rescued by Israeli forces throughout the daylight raid
Andrey Kozlov, 27, a Russian sous-chef, was stored handcuffed for weeks on finish and compelled to eat and drink along with his palms certain behind his again
11.27 am
Regardless of the gun battle, the rescuers have all three hostages and the injured Zmora prepared to go away in lower than two minutes.
However as they head to the evacuation automobile, they face a blizzard of fireside.
‘After the firefight all of the locals awakened and plenty of terrorists got here from throughout with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), missiles, the whole lot so as to hit the vans,’ says Zohar Dvir.
11.28 am
The Israelis’ escape automobile is disabled within the crossfire and they’re all compelled again right into a constructing to cover. This prompts their back-up plan and the Israeli Air Pressure instantly launches a bombardment of air strikes and artillery.
In scenes harking back to America’s legendary Battle of Mogadishu, also referred to as the Black Hawk Down incident, plane present cowl to create a protecting perimeter across the particular forces sheltering in close by buildings. They need to unleash a ‘ring of fireside’ so ferocious it holds again the terrorist commandos.
‘They had been fully surrounded, towards a drive with undercover networks,’ explains Dvir. ‘Terrorists can leap out from anyplace with RPGs – each place, homes, underground, operating from shelter to shelter.’
Big clouds of smoke billow into the sky above and buildings are lowered to rubble.
‘Gunfire was exchanged in a loopy method,’ says one eye-witness. ‘We lay down on the bottom and the planes began bombing from each course.’
Noon
A substitute automobile arrives to ferry the hostages to security however additionally it is broken within the brutal crossfire.
12.10 pm
The automobile Noa is in faces mechanical issues on the way in which to security, probably attributable to crossfire, and it grinds to a sudden halt.
12.15 pm
Again in Al-Nuseirat, the Air Pressure continues its bombardment, the Yamam operatives rescuers proceed to battle off fierce rocket fireplace and the hostages disguise and await one more automobile.
Chief Inspector Zmora is handled as they wait, however is fading quick.
12.30 pm
Noa (‘Diamond One’) reaches her helicopter rendezvous in an Israeli-controlled part of the Gazan shoreline, south of a US-built floating pier.
The helicopter takes off in direction of Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Aviv.
Her household is notified of the mission for the primary time and advised that she is on her manner house. They rush to satisfy her.
12.50 pm
Noa lands and is greeted by her overjoyed father, whose birthday it’s. ‘I’m so blissful to be right here,’ she says. ‘Thanks for the whole lot, thanks for this second.’
She can be reunited together with her mom, Liora, who has late-stage mind most cancers and thought she would possibly by no means see her daughter once more.
1.15 pm approx
A 3rd escape automobile arrives to evacuate the trapped hostages and, ultimately, beneath a hail of gunfire, the rescuers get them to the automobile and race them in direction of the identical rendezvous level the place they are going to hyperlink up with their helicopter extraction staff.
1.35 pm
The three remaining hostages, together with the injured Zmora, board the helicopter. Because it takes off, Main Basic Yaron Finkelman experiences in: ‘Military tech. I need to report back to you that the three Diamonds took off from the runway in direction of the nation.’
Their households are knowledgeable that they’ve been rescued.
The mission passed off in the midst of one of many world’s most overcrowded refugee camps and an space already teeming with Hamas terrorists in Al Nuseirat, Gaza
2 pm
Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv arrive at Sheba Medical Centre, eight months and in the future after they had been taken hostage.
Chief Inspector Zmora is rushed to emergency remedy, however docs can’t save him. He’s pronounced useless quickly afterwards.
2.30 pm
Again in Al-Nuseirat the Palestinians survey the injury, rely the useless and rush the wounded to hospital.
Some say they’ve by no means seen such a devastating barrage of fireside in eight months of battle.
In line with the Palestinian well being authorities, there are 274 useless and virtually 700 folks have been injured.
The Israeli authorities estimate a a lot decrease determine: roughly 100 useless, most of whom they are saying had been terrorists.
Although there may be an outpouring of nationwide pleasure in Israel at information of the rescue, about 120 hostages nonetheless stay unaccounted for, together with Noa’s boyfriend.
For now, their destiny stays within the lap of the gods.
