© Reuters. Smoke rises throughout an Israeli floor operation in Khan Younis, amid the continued battle between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, as seen from a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah, within the southern Gaza Strip February 11,
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By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Emily Rose
DOHA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel launched a particular forces operation that freed two Israeli hostages in Rafah amid air strikes early on Monday, which native well being officers mentioned killed 37 individuals and wounded dozens within the southern Gaza metropolis.
A joint operation by the Israel Defence Drive (IDF), Israel’s home Shin Wager safety service and the Particular Police Unit in Rafah freed Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Hare, 70, the Israeli navy mentioned.
The 2 males, who have been kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on Oct. 7, have been in good situation and brought to the Tel Hashomer Medical Advanced, the navy mentioned.
“It was a really complicated operation,” Israeli navy spokesman Lt Col. Richard Hecht mentioned. “We’ve been working a very long time on this operation. We have been ready for the fitting circumstances.”
The hostages have been being held on the second ground of a constructing that was breached with an explosive cost throughout the raid, which noticed heavy exchanges of gunfire with surrounding buildings, Hecht mentioned.
On the similar time, an air strike was carried out to permit the forces to be extracted, he mentioned.
The air strikes brought about widespread panic in Rafah as many individuals have been asleep when the strikes began, mentioned residents contacted by Reuters utilizing a chat app. Some feared Israel had begun its floor offensive into Rafah.
Israeli planes, tanks and ships took half within the strikes, with two mosques and a number of other homes hit, in keeping with residents.
The Israeli navy mentioned on Monday it had carried out a “collection of strikes” on southern Gaza which have now “concluded,” with out offering additional particulars.
Earlier than earlier assaults on Gaza cities, Israel’s navy has ordered civilians to depart with out getting ready any particular evacuation plan.
U.S. President Joe Biden informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that Israel shouldn’t launch a navy operation in Rafah and not using a credible plan to make sure the protection of the roughly 1 million individuals sheltering there, the White Home mentioned.
Assist businesses say an assault on Rafah can be catastrophic. It’s the final comparatively protected place in an enclave devastated by Israel’s navy offensive.
Biden and Netanyahu spoke for about 45 minutes, days after the U.S. chief mentioned Israel’s navy response within the Gaza Strip had been “excessive” and expressed grave concern over the rising civilian dying toll within the Palestinian enclave.
Netanyahu’s workplace has mentioned that it had ordered the navy to develop a plan to evacuate Rafah and destroy 4 Hamas battalions it says are deployed there.
Hamas militants killed 1,200 individuals in southern Israel and kidnapped not less than 250 of their Oct. 7 incursion, in keeping with Israeli tallies. Israel has responded with a navy assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed greater than 28,000 Palestinians, in keeping with the Hamas-run well being ministry.
Netanyahu mentioned in an interview aired on Sunday that “sufficient” of the 132 remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza have been alive tojustify Israel’s battle within the area.
Hamas-run Aqsa Tv on Sunday quoted a senior Hamas chief as saying any Israeli floor offensive in Rafah would “blow up” the hostage-exchange negotiations.
Egypt warned on Sunday of “dire penalties” of a possible Israeli navy assault on Rafah, which lies close to its border.
“Egypt referred to as for the need of uniting all worldwide and regional efforts to forestall the concentrating on of the Palestinian metropolis of Rafah,” its overseas ministry added in an announcement.
(Reporting Nidal al-Mughrabi in Doha, Emily Rose in Jerusalem and Reuters bureaux; Writing by Michael Perry; Enhancing by Gerry Doyle)