REPORT: Operation Arnon: How Israel Rescued 4 Hostages
What Happened?
In a daring daylight raid on 8 June, Israeli special operations forces rescued 4 hostages from their Hamas captors in the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza. Thanks to the element of surprise, Israeli commandos were able to reach Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Koslov, and Almog Meir. These hostages were kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival that was brutally attacked by Hamas during the 7 October Massacre.[1]
The rescue operation resulted in one Israeli commando, Arnon Zmora, dying of injuries sustained in the firefight with Hamas. Tragically, the fighting also killed a considerable number of Palestinian civilians caught in crossfire. It is clear, however, that the devastation inflicted upon the Nuseirat camp is entirely due to the inhumane tactics used by Hamas to prevent a rescue operation. As the hostages were being evacuated, Hamas operatives opened fire on the rescue team from throughout the refugee camp and disabled several escape vehicles with hostages inside of them. [2] To prevent either the deaths or recapture of hostages, the IDF launched a significant counterattack on the militants– tragically resulting in a high amount of Palestinian casualties. Although the exact death toll cannot be independently verified, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari stated that less than 100 civilians were killed. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health has stated that over 200 civilians were killed, though the Ministry makes no distinction between Hamas and non-combatants. [3]
Where were the hostages held?
The Nuseirat Camp, located in Central Gaza, is a dense neighbourhood home to thousands of Palestinians. The apartments that held the hostages were located in the middle of the camp– near a crowded market, a mosque, and a hospital. [4] By holding hostages, which is a clear violation of international law in itself, in the middle of civilian infrastructure, Hamas demonstrates again its repeated use of the Palestinian people as human shields for its terrorist activity.
Additionally, Ziv, Koslov, and Meir were held in the apartment of a journalist who had in the past contributed to the Qatari state-funded network Al-Jazeera and the Palestine Chronicle. [5] Qatar is currently sheltering the leadership of Hamas in Doha. Hamas, quite deliberately, blurs the lines between civilians and militants to maximise the impact of the conflict on the Palestinian population and to increase pressure on Israel to end the war on favourable terms. Allowing Hamas to continue these tactics without international pushback only incentivises the terror group to continue its devastating practices.
What Does This Mean?
Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, the taking of hostages by any belligerent in war is strictly prohibited. [6] Like any state, Israel has the duty and right to defend itself from attack and return its hostages held by a terror organisation. Hamas’s repeated use of the Palestinian people to shield its terrorist activities only amplifies the devastation of the war on civilians. Hamas is attempting to win international sympathy by continuing to put the Gazan people in harm’s way and maximise the death toll of the conflict. Until Hamas is removed from power, this injustice will only continue.
What Comes Next?
As negotiations with Hamas over a ceasefire and hostage deal continue, the operation demonstrates that Israel maintains the ability and expertise to extract hostages from Gaza by force if necessary. Furthermore, it highlights the devastation that Hamas inflicts upon the Palestinian people by using them as human shields, especially considering that it was so willing to turn a refugee camp into a bloody war zone instead of letting the hostages go. Israel’s rescue operation shows that a lasting peace can only reach Gaza if the hostages are returned and Hamas is dismantled.
Sources:
[1] Jon Donnison, “How Israel’s Hostage Rescue in Gaza Unfolded,” BBC News, 9 June 2024, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp334z7rxxmo.
[2] Steve Hendrix, Shira Rubin, Lovedy Morris, Heba Farouk Mahfouz, and Hajar Harb, “Inside Israel’s Hostage Rescue: Secret Plans and a Deadly ‘Wall of Fire,’” The Washington Post, 9 June 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/06/09/israel-gaza-hostages-rescue-raid/.
[3] Kathleen Magramo, Benjamin Brown, Abeer Salman, Eve Brennan, Mohammad Al-Sawalhi, and Sophie Tanno, “An Israeli operation rescues four hostages and kills scores of Palestinians. Here’s what we know,” CNN, 10 June 2024,
[4] Carrie Keller-Lynn, Abeer Ayyoub, and Michael Amon, “How Israel Saved a Hostage Rescue Operation that Nearly Failed,” The Wall Street Journal, 10 June 2024, https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/how-israel-saved-a-hostage-rescue-mission-that-nearly-failed-eab2a010.
[5] Raf Sanchez and Chantal da Silva, “New details emerge about Israel's deadly hostage rescue — and how it almost fell apart,” NBC News, 10 June 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hostage-rescue-new-details-gaza-operation-nuseirat-rcna156273.
[6] Article 34, Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, 6 U.S.T. 3516; 75 U.N.T.S. 287, 12 August 1949, https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949/article-34?activeTab=undefined.
