Today, a complex joint operation by Israel’s internal security service Shin Bet and Israel’s police counter-terrorism Yamam unit, supported by IDF soldiers of the 98th Division, and also elements of the Navy and the Air Force, raided a camp in Nuseirat, Gaza, and, while under fire, successfully extracted 4 hostages held captive there that were taken by Hamas on October 7: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv (ref. 1).
The rescue of Argamani in one location proceeded quietly, with all the captors quickly eliminated, but for the other three captives in another location, an intense gun battle erupted, during which a Yamam team leader Arnon Zamora was wounded. He was evacuated by helicopter but later he died of his wounds.
Originally codenamed Operation Summer Seeds, the operation was renamed Arnon in honour of the commando that died.
The operation was well planned, relying on concrete intelligence, and it involved distracting fire and even a decoy truck.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described it as “one of the most impressive and heroic operations” he has seen in his long career in the security establishment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised Yamam, Shin Bet, and the IDF as “heroic warriors”, noting that this operation was carried out with “ingenuity and courage”.
This news again goes to show that the government of Israel has been correct to keep on fighting Hamas. Israel must keep going for the hostages that are still captive and for the security of the southern half of Israel.
Yamam, for those who don’t know, is Israel’s top hostage rescue unit, a part of Israel’s police, a kind of SWAT, drawn from elite special forces soldiers of the IDF.
References:
1. All Israel (9 June 2024), “Operation Arnon: All the details about the heroic operation that freed 4 Israeli hostages from the heart of Gaza”, allisrael.com