Four Israeli nationals, held in captivity by Hamas, were rescued by Israel Defence Forces on Saturday from the central Gaza Strip following a special operation, the country's military said.
The rescued hostages, identified as Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 from the Supernova music festival near the southern community of Re'im, The Times of Israel reported.
All the four hostages are said to be in good condition and have been transferred to the 'Sheba' Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations.
"Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were rescued in a special operation by the IDF, ISA and Israel Police from 2 separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat after being kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival," IDF said in a post of X.
The Israeli army also vowed to continue with its efforts to "bring the hostages home".
According to the report, special forces rescued the hostages after they simultaneously raided two Hamas sites in central Gaza's Nuseirat. At one location, Argamani was rescued, while Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were at the second location.
Argamani, a 25-year-old Chinese-born Israeli citizen, was also abducted from the festival. A video footage, as confirmed by her father Yaakov Argamani on Israel's Channel 12, which went viral on social media, shows her being taken away on a motorbike while she screams, "Don't kill me".
Fresh footage shows Argamani reunited with her father, smiling and embracing him aboard a vehicle. This scene was broadcast shortly after news of the rescue operation on Saturday.
As the Israel-Hamas war entered its ninth month, the IDF on Friday conducted a strike on a UN-run school in Gaza, killing at least 33 people, news agency AFP reported.
The Israeli military said its fighter jets killed nine 'terrorists' in three classrooms where about 30 militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad had been hiding, the report stated.
