By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 11 February 2024
Edit Thread

Two male Israeli hostages rescued in special operation in Rafah, IDF says

Two Israeli hostages were rescued overnight from the southern Gaza city of Rafah in a special operation between the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency Shin Bet, and the Israeli police. The two hostages have been identified as Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, who were taken by Hamas during the militant group's October 7 attack on Israel, according to the joint statement on Monday.

Their rescue comes 128 days after they were taken captive. The two men are in good medical condition and have been transferred to Sheba Medical Center in Israel, the IDF said. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant hailed it as an "impressive release operation" by the IDF. "All appreciation to IDF forces, security forces and special police forces for the important operation and quality performance. We will keep our commitment to return the hostages in any way," he wrote on X.

More than 60 people killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah, Palestinian Red Crescent Society says 


A man walks past a destroyed building following Israeli bombardments on Rafah on Monday morning

More than 60 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said early Monday. The city, where more than half of Gaza’s population is seeking refuge, experienced "intense targeting" by warplanes and airstrikes, the PRCS said. CNN cannot independently verify the numbers. 

At least two mosques and around a dozen homes were targeted in the strikes, the Rafah municipality said on Monday. Helicopters also fired machine guns along its border regions, according to the PRCS. Rafah lies near Gaza's border with Egypt. Director of Abu Yousef Al-Najjar Hospital said medical facilities in Rafah "cannot handle the large number of injuries due to the Israeli occupation's bombardment." According to the PRCS, people are trapped under the rubble and there is still a heavy presence of warplanes in the skies over Rafah. 


A destroyed mosque is seen following Israeli bombardments of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday morning

Rafah attack ‘horrific and devastating’: Australian senator

Australian Senator David Shoebridge has decried the bombardment on Rafah and questioned the timing while viewers in the United States watch the Super Bowl. “The attack on Rafah happening at 2am Gaza time while the US is watching the Superbowl is utterly horrific and devastating,” said Shoebridge in a post on social media. “Our hearts are with the Palestinian people now more than ever,” he added.

Shoebridge is a member of the Australian Greens who have called for a ceasefire in Gaza and questioned Australia’s role in exporting weapons to Israel.

More details on Rafah bombardment tonight

The Wafa news agency has more details on the areas of Rafah targeted by bombardment from Israeli warplanes and navy ships tonight. They include:

  • The Al-Rahma mosque in Al-Shaboura and Al-Huda mosque in the Yabna camp where dozens of people were sheltering.
  • Central Gaza near the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
  • Areas close to the border with Egypt.

As we reported earlier, there have also been reports of heavy shelling in the areas around the Kuwait Hospital. The Director of Kuwait Hospital, Suhaib Al-Hams, has said, “The hospital is full of wounded people in a very dangerous situation, and there is not enough medicine,” Wafa reports.

Injured people have been taken to the Kuwait Hospital in Rafah while hundreds of other people have reportedly also fled to the hospital grounds seeking shelter from the Israeli bombardments, according to Wafa and video footage verified by Al Jazeera.

(Painful scenes of injured people, including children, in the violent Israeli bombing of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip)