Israel rescues 4 hostages who were kidnapped on Oct. 7

JERUSALEM — On Saturday, the Israeli military said that it rescued four hostages who have been held in Gaza since Oct. 7.

The names of the four hostages are Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, according to The Associated Press. They were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, The New York Times reported.

The hostages were rescued from two different areas in Nuseirat, the army said, according to the AP. It was part of a joint “complex” daytime operation, according to the BBC. It was between the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police.

Israeli officials in a statement said that all four are believed to be in good medical condition, the Times reported. “They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,” the IDF said, according to CNN.

Argamani’s kidnapping was caught in a video from the scene, the Times reported. It showed her crying for help as she was seen driven away on a motorcycle by Palestinian militants. Her boyfriend, Avinatan Or was also kidnapped and is believed to still be in captivity, Reuters reported.

There are approximately 120 hostages remaining in Gaza and over 30 are believed to be dead, the Times reported.

Rescuing hostages continues to be a goal of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, CNN reported. So far, this is the first successful operation that the Israeli military has had. The others include when IDF Cpl. Ori Megidish was rescued in October and Fernando Marman and Louis Har were rescued from southern Rafah in February.

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