The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) coordinated a ground and air operation on Hamas targets in Rafah to extract two hostages, a spokesperson told reporters Monday.
"In a retrieval joint operation of IDF, security forces and special police forces, the special police unit, we retrieved Louis Har and Fernando Marman who were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 from Nir Ytzhak," said spokesman Daniel Hagari.
"There was aerial coverage and a wave of strikes by the Israeli Air Force together with the Southern Command.”
Hagari said that special forces entered a building in the center of Rafah at 1:49 a.m. local time (6:49 p.m. ET).
"At 1:50am, the air cover started the action by the Air Force and the southern command in order to allow the forces to detach and to hit Hamas terrorists in the area," he added.
Within minutes, the two hostages were escorted out under fire from Hamas fighters and then taken to a "safe spot" in Rafah to get medical attention, Hagari added.
They were then airlifted out of Gaza by helicopter to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Hagari said the "complex" operation had been planned for a "long time."
"It was a very tense and exciting night," he added.
"They were intentionally held in the middle of a civilian neighborhood, inside a civilian building, to try and prevent us from rescuing them. But we did," Hagari said in a later statement released in English. "This rescue mission underscores the importance of our ground operation in Gaza, including Rafah, when conditions allow."
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Monday that more than 100 people had been killed by Israeli air strikes on Rafah overnight.
More people are believed to remain trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Some context: Nir Yitzhak was one of multiple kibbutzim close to the border with Gaza that came under attack by Hamas militants during their October 7 attack that saw about 1,200 people killed and more than 240 taken hostage. Israel’s response has wrought widespread devastation across Gaza. The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza has said the death toll since October 7 has risen to more than 27,500.