During a midnight operation in Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, two Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 were located and recovered. The Israeli military confirmed the breakthrough as a joint effort among the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency, and Israeli police.
The two captives, Fernando Simon Marman, aged sixty, and Luis Har, aged seventy, were taken from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak and then moved to safety. After their return, both individuals appeared to be in good overall condition and were promptly transported to medical facilities for thorough examinations, as reported by security and health officials associated with the operation.
In the days surrounding the operation, the IDF disclosed continued strikes against targets in the Al Shabura district of Rafah, part of ongoing military responses to attacks in the region. The broader conflict had intensified since Hamas militants infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, triggering a rapid escalation in violence and prompting a large-scale Israeli war footing.
On that day, Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel and declared the start of Operation Al Aqsa Flood, a move that prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to declare that Israel was at war. The security situation across the region remained volatile as both sides exchanged fire and fought to gain strategic advantages amid the civilian toll and humanitarian concerns that have followed the fighting.
Earlier statements from international health authorities described a humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, with warnings of unprecedented levels of famine and urgent calls for humanitarian access. Relief agencies have stressed the need for corridors to deliver aid while warning of critical shortages in medical supplies, food, and water for the civilian population. Throughout the conflict, the humanitarian situation has remained a central concern for international observers and regional leaders alike, as efforts continued to address the welfare of civilians amid ongoing military operations.