Soldiers of israel said
Soldiers the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) notified CNN that a unique joint operation successfully freed an Israeli soldier who had been kidnapped by Hamas. This is the first successful hostage rescue since the terrorist group’s October 7 attack. The IDF first declared Pvt. Ori Megidish to have been “released.” However, IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus informed CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Tuesday that it was a translation error.
Megidish was one of the more than 200 captives whom Hamas had taken captive. According to Conricus, Megidish was “actively rescued” with “boots on the ground” in a cooperative operation including the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA), better known as Shin Bet. Conricus stated that “based on intelligence,” the Israeli special forces entered northern Gaza knowing her whereabouts and rescued her, with Israel proclaiming a “new phase of war” when it began ground operations last Friday.
He stated, “It was a special operation with the express goal of getting her out.” They were there to complete a task, Conricus remarked, adding that he was pleased with the result because Megidish is now back with her family and is in “good mental and physical health.”
Conricus continued, “Megidish has also provided Israeli intelligence officers with information about her captivity that can be used for the future.” He said, but stopped short of saying whether further such operations are planned based on intelligence regarding the whereabouts of the remaining hostages, “We are certainly dedicated to getting all of our 238 hostages now held by Hamas in Gaza, all of them, to bring them home.
The freeing of the hostages coincides with mounting international pressure on the Israeli government to obtain the release of other prisoners detained in Gaza for longer than three weeks following the more than 1,400 civilian deaths caused by Hamas’ assault in Israel. An estimate from the Israeli Government Press Office last week stated that 135 hostages, including civilian men, women, children, and the elderly, as well as military, are being held in Gaza and have foreign passports from 25 different countries.
Only four hostages have been freed so far by Hamas, the militant organisation that controls Gaza: a mother and daughter from the United States and two weak Israeli women. However, negotiations to free many more prisoners are being hampered by Israel’s expansion of its ground operations into the besieged territory. One important channel for Hamas deliberations has been Qatar soldiers.
However, Israel’s escalation on the ground is making the situation “considerably more difficult,” according to Majed Al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and advisor to the prime minister of Qatar, who talked with CNN on Saturday. Conricus responded to such remarks by saying that soldiers, in light of the IDF’s rescue of Megidish, he “would argue that the reality on the ground dictates differently.”
According to Israel, the ground attack is getting more intense, which puts more pressure on Hamas and might eventually help with the current hostage-freeing operations. Conricus also said that by employing captives as leverage, Hamas is engaging in psychological warfare.
He stated, “Hamas is currently attempting to use their prisoners as leverage in an effort to improve both their battle and tactical circumstances on the ground. Conricus told CNN that although “progress is good” thus far, Israeli troops on the ground are anticipating “fierce resistance” and “tunnel warfare, booby traps, IEDS, anti-tank mines, snipers, and many other things.” However, he did not rule out the possibility of further hostage rescue missions in the future soldiers.
The Israeli military is “moving slowly and deliberately,” he continued, adding that they are “making considerable efforts, now in the ground warfare, to distinguish between combatants and non-combatant.”