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Israeli forces successfully rescued two Israeli hostages held in the Gaza city of Rafah, officials announced early Monday.
In a joint operation conducted overnight by the Israeli Defense Forces, Israeli Securities Authority and Israeli police rescued Fernando Merman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, and evacuated them in a helicopter to the Sheba Tel Hashomer hospital inside Israel. Both are said to be in good medical condition.
Merman and Har were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from the Nir Yitzhak kibbutz on Oct. 7, the day Hamas launched its attack against Israel.
Security forces said they will continue to work toward returning the hostages home.
As of Monday, 134 of the more than 240 hostages abducted on Oct. 7 remain in Gaza. More than 100 were freed as part of a hostage deal in November. This includes Har’s wife, who is also Merman’s sister, and Merman’s other sister and niece.
Qatar and Egypt have been attempting to mediate a new hostage deal, but Israel and Hamas have yet to reach an agreement.
President Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday against expanding the ground operation in Gaza without a plan for evacuating Palestinian civilians.
