7 Oct: The moment Noa Argamani was captured and dragged off and screaming on a motorcycle.

8 June: The moment she hugs her father after rescue. pic.twitter.com/cXc8STFGvs

— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) June 8, 2024

Argamani, whose abduction video was widely shared, had been among the most recognizable hostages. Her mother, Liora, who is battling stage four brain cancer, had previously released a video pleading to see her daughter before her death. The rescue operation, which took place under heavy fire, was described as a heroic effort by Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the IDF.

“Noa, Almog, Andrey and Shlomi – we are overjoyed to have you home,” Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said in a statement. “Our troops conducted a heroic operation to rescue four hostages held by Hamas, and brought them home to Israel.”

The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters praised the Israeli government for the rescue operation and urged the international community to pressure Hamas into accepting a proposed deal to release the remaining 120 hostages. “Every day there is a day too far,” the group emphasized.

Gallant expressed his joy at the successful operation and vowed to continue the fight until all hostages are returned home.

“The IDF, ISA and Special Forces operated with extraordinary courage under heavy fire, and succeeded in completing their mission,” he said.

As the rescued hostages receive medical care and reunite with their families, the Israeli government remains committed to bringing all remaining hostages home, whether alive for rehabilitation or deceased for burial.

Article generated from corporate media reports.

The IDF is currently carrying out a sweeping counteroffensive in Gaza against Hamas, which is currently holding over 100 hostages in Gaza, including Israelis, foreign nationals and American citizens. The IDF said on Friday that its forces accidentally killed three Israeli hostages during ground operations in the Shijaiyah region of Gaza City.

“The IDF expresses deep remorse over the tragic incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences,” IDF said on Friday. “Our national mission is to locate the missing and return all the hostages home.”

The Israeli troops shot the hostages after mistakenly assessing them as a threat, according to the IDF. IDF Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the hostages were in a combat zone and it was unclear whether they had escaped Hamas or were abandoned, The Associated Press reported.

An investigation into the accident was “immediately launched,” according to the IDF. Two of the hostages were identified as Israeli citizens Yotam Haim and Samer Talalka, and the third was also Israeli but was not publicly named at the request of the family.

The IDF is carrying out ground operations throughout Gaza and has recently targeted the southern region of the territory, where it believes the majority of Hamas is currently located. Part of the operations involve destroying a 300-mile underground tunnel network that serves as the nerve center for Hamas’ operations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that the return of the remaining hostages is “a main goal” for Israel, noting that his country is “more determined than ever” to fully eliminate Hamas.

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(Daily Caller)—Hamas released a second group of hostages late Saturday as part of a deal brokered by the Qatari government after initially holding up the release.

The hostages are all Israeli women and children, along with four hostages from Thailand held by the radical terrorist group after it carried out a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Hamas delayed the release, which was supposed to take place earlier Saturday, claiming Israel was not abiding by the terms of the deal.

UPDATE: IDF Spokesman reports that according to the information provided to the IDF, 17 hostages were transferred at the Rafah border, including 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens. https://t.co/UGZMyjsKRG

— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 25, 2023

“The @ICRC reporting that the hostages have been released to them and underwent initial medical examinations,” Israel War Room posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday.

“IDF Spokesman reports that according to the information provided to the IDF, 17 hostages were transferred at the Rafah border, including 13 Israelis and four Thai citizens,” the account said in a follow-up post.

Hamas released 25 hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack Friday, including 13 Israeli citizens, as part of a deal brokered by the Qatari government. Hamas demanded that Israel allow aid trucks to enter northern Gaza, leading to Saturday’s delay. according to Axios.

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The flights suggest that the U.S. is playing a more active role in hostage recovery than was previously known, as the Pentagon has tasked military personnel with advising and providing intelligence support to Israeli hostage rescuers. That intelligence support may also include MQ-9 Reaper surveillance drone flights conducted in hopes of finding roughly 10 remaining Americans held hostage, the NYT reported, citing a NYT analysis of public flight data and two defense officials who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity.

Analysts first spotted the Reapers reporting their status and altitude on Flightradar24, a commercially-available flight tracking website, on Oct. 28, according to the NYT. But, U.S. Special Operations forces began conducting unmanned aircraft sorties within days after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, the officials said.

The U.S. has never before flown reconnaissance missions over Gaza, the defense officials said, according to the NYT. Israel regularly conducts surveillance in the airspace above Gaza.

U.S. surveillance flights are not supporting Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military operations in Gaza, the officials told the NYT. Rather, their objective is to identify hostages, determine their status and provide information to Israeli forces.

Several dozen American Special Operations forces have arrived in Israel since Oct. 7 to advise on hostage recovery efforts. It was not clear if these are the same personnel manning the spy flights; analyst Amelia Smith first spotted an unmanned aerial vehicle flying from the coast of Crete to Gaza, where it loitered for several hours, on Oct. 29.

Earlier today, a drone that was tracked from a position off the coast of Crete loitered over Gaza for just under 3 hours.

What wasn't visible on flight trackers were two MQ-9A Extended Range Reaper drones also in the area: REMIX22 & REMIX55 from NAS Sigonella. #ADSB #E9D001 1/2 https://t.co/wtqFbS6CQe pic.twitter.com/rbN4etxf4F

— Amelia Smith (@ameliairheart) October 29, 2023

Israel’s military has surrounded Gaza City and is in the beginning stages of military operations in the city itself, the NYT reported. One of the IDF’s war aims is to rescue hostages; as time progresses and Israel’s military presses further into Gaza, it may become more difficult to ensure hostage survival.

Most MQ-9 flights center around areas in southern Gaza, away from the primary thrust of IDF operations, the NYT reported. Smith told the outlet she identified at least six distinct MQ-9 drones involved in the effort. Several hovered over Gaza for about three hours at altitudes of 24,000 to 26,000 feet.

Hamas militants threatened to kill hostages if Israel does not stop launching airstrikes on Gaza.

While the MQ-9 was first designed as a “hunter-killer” drone, the U.S. military gives it surveillance missions due to its ability to loiter for as long as 20 hours and advanced sensors and radars, according to the NYT.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].