February 12, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

Israel has rescued two hostages in an operation in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza, where its air force has also carried out strikes that have killed at least 100 people, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS).

Concerns are growing over the fate of more than a million displaced Gazans in the city, where Israel is planning a ground operation.

Here are the latest developments:

Relatives of hostages freed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during an overnight military raid in Gaza were elated to have their family members back, and told CNN the news came as a total surprise.

“It’s a very special day today, at least for our family,” Idan Begerano, Louis Har’s son-in-law told CNN’s Nic Robertson in an interview Monday.

Begerano said their family, and the family of Fernando Marman — the other rescued hostage — was woken at 3:30 a.m. local time to a simple phone call:

"Louis is here, Fernando is here, please come to the hospital we’ve got them,” Begerano explained. 

The two men are in relatively good condition but showing signs of what they went through, their families say. “The first moment of the hug I couldn’t believe I was hugging him, I was so happy,” Marman’s niece, Geffen Sigal Ilan said.

Begerano described the pair as "very thin," adding that "they’re walking, but they’re still running high on adrenaline, so we’ll only see how good or bad they are physically, or mentally in some days."

Despite their good fortune, the relatives did not forget those still held by Hamas in Gaza. “Now, I’m thinking about the 134 hostages that are waiting. I want them to also be released, as soon as possible,” Ilan said.

For his part, Begerano called on both sides to strike a deal. “Personally, I don’t believe we can take out all the 134 hostages only by military action, at one stage or another you need to strike a deal,” he explained.

The Netherlands must stop the export of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel within seven days, a Dutch court ruled on Monday, citing concerns that they could be used to violate international law as part of the Israeli campaign in Gaza.

“This means that the export of F-35 parts from the Netherlands to Israel has to be stopped.”

Three non-governmental organizations — Oxfam Novib, Pax for Peace, and The Rights Forum — appealed a previous Dutch court decision that allowed the continued export of F-35 parts to Israel.

On Monday, The Hague Court of Appeal said that under several international regulations that the Netherlands is a party to, the country must prevent the export of military equipment if there is a “clear risk of serious violations of international humanitarian law.”

The court said that Israel does not take “take sufficient account of the consequences of its attacks for the civilian population,” adding that its attacks on Gaza have resulted in a “disproportionate number of civilian casualties.”

The European Union is “extremely concerned” about the situation in Rafah, the bloc’s most senior diplomat, Josep Borrell, told reporters on Monday.

His comments come as EU ministers meet to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict, as well as accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the UN's main agency working with Palestinians.

Remember: In January, Israel accused some of UNRWA’s staff members of involvement in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks, though few details to support these allegations have been released.

“Allegations [have] to be verified,” the diplomat said. “The presumption of innocence is valid for everyone, at any time, even for UNRWA.”

Borrell said that “many” EU ministers have written to him, urging him to ask Israel to stop preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza.

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.

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."

"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.

The Houthis have targeted a bulk carrier ship in the Red Sea with “naval missiles,” according to a spokesperson.

The "Star Iris" is a US vessel, the Yemeni group’s spokesperson said in a statement on X.

Marine tracking websites showed a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with the same name in the Red Sea.

The UK’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization said that a vessel was attacked by two missiles 40 nautical miles south of Al Mukha in Yemen, but the ship reported minor damage and the crew is safe.

It’s unclear if the two statements relate to the same incident.

The US and UK have been striking Houthi assets in Yemen in response to attacks from the group on vessels traveling through the Red Sea.

The Iran-backed group has maintained that attacks will continue on ships affiliated with Israel until the “aggression stops” in Gaza.

On Saturday, 17 Houthi fighters killed in US and UK strikes were buried, the Houthi-run Saba news agency said.  

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed home the two Israeli-Argentine hostages rescued overnight in joint operations with the Israel Defense Forces in Rafah. 

Sixty-year-old Fernando Simon Marman and 70-year-old Louis Har were both taken during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the IDF said. 

Netanyahu praises soldiers: The prime minister also said he was proud of the soldiers involved in the rescue, saying they worked "like a well-oiled machine" in a meeting with fighters and the commander of the Yamam Unit that freed the hostages.

“I came here to tell you this and to salute you on behalf of all the citizens of Israel," he said.

The office of Argentina's President Javier Milei praised Israel for the rescue of its two citizens from Gaza on Monday.

Milei's office said on X that it thanks the Israel Defense Forces, the Israel Security Agency and the Israel Police for "having successfully completed the rescue" of Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70.

Marman and Har are dual Israeli-Argentine nationals, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum told CNN.

They were both captured during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the IDF.

Milei said he had repeated a request to free the Argentine hostages to Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a recent state visit to Israel.

Hamas condemned what it called a "horrific massacre" by Israel against civilians in Rafah on Monday after the Israeli military confirmed it conducted airstrikes near the city. 

More than 100 people were killed in overnight strikes by Israeli forces in the southern city, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). Hamas also said over 100 people were killed in the attacks.

CNN cannot independently verify the number of casualties on the ground.

In its statement, Hamas accused US President Joe Biden and his administration of bearing "full responsibility" for the civilian deaths.

Israel's strikes on Rafah come a day after Biden had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and reaffirmed his stance that the Israeli military should not proceed with a ground offensive in Rafah “without a credible and executable plan” to ensure the safety of civilians — estimated to be over one million people who had fled there amid Israeli bombardment.

Biden and Netanyahu had discussed a deal to secure the release of hostages in Gaza at length during the call, according to a senior administration official, but gaps remain in those discussions.