The Israeli military on Monday said that it has rescued a hostage in a ground operation in Gaza Strip.
Hamas and allied Palestinian groups are holding over 220 Israeli and foreign nationals as hostages in Gaza Strip whom they abducted during the October 7 attack.
The Israeli military on Monday said that it has rescued a hostage in a ground operation in Gaza Strip.
In a post on Twitter, the military identified the rescued hostage as Pvt. Ori Megidish of the Israeli military.
Megidish was among more than 220 Israeli and foreign nationals who were abducted by Hamas and allied Palestinian groups during their attack on Israel on October 7. So far, only four hostages have been released by Hamas, all of them dual US-Israeli nationals.
"She is home. PVT Megidish was abducted by Hamas on October 7. Tonight, she was released during IDF ground operations. Ori is now home with her family," said the Israeli military in a tweet.
The Times of Israel reported that Megidish has been reunited with her family. It further reported that she was abducted by Hamas when the group overran the Nahar Oz military base where she was stationed as an observation soldier.
Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation, and allied groups invaded Israel on October 7 via land, air, and see as thousands of rockets rained on Israel from Gaza. They killed at least 1,400, injured around 5,300, and abducted more than 220 whom they took to Gaza as hostages. The issue of hostages has deeply complicated the Israeli war efforts as there is a risk of Hamas executing hostages or they coming getting in the crossfire.
Incidentally, the news of Magidish's rescue comes hours after the death of a German-Israeli woman, Shani Louk, was confirmed. Shani, a tattoo artist, was abducted from the Supernova Music Festival in southern Israel. A video captured Hamas parading her in a semi-naked and unconscious state in Gaza amid celebratory cheering and religious slogans in the back of a pick-up truck. The video was widely shared on the internet and was widely condemned. The music festival was the site of the worst massacre as at least 260 were killed there and dozens were abducted.
The Hamas attack on Israel, which dealt the worst toll on the Jews since the Holocaust, triggered the Israel-Hamas War which is now in its fourth week. Israel has responded to the Hamas attack with its own aerial and artillery strikes and a ground operation. Gaza has been heavily bombarded by Israel in efforts to take down Hamas targets, but widespread civilian casualties have also been reported. Latest figures from Hamas-run Gaza authorities say at least 8,000 have been killed in Israeli attacks, including over 3,300 children.
Moreover, the United Nations (UN) agency for Palestinians has said that over 600,000 have been displaced from the fighting. As Israel has also imposed a ground blockade and only supplies are coming in trickle through the Gaza-Egypt border, there is also acute shortage of food, medicines, and fuel in the region.