The freed hostages — named as Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv — were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The Israeli authorities said on Saturday that they had rescued four hostages who had been held in Gaza since Oct. 7 in a military operation in central Gaza.
The freed hostages — named as Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv — were kidnapped by Palestinian militants from the Nova music festival during the Hamas-led attack on Israel.
All four are in good medical condition and have been transferred to a hospital in Israel for further examinations, the Israeli authorities said in a statement. Roughly 250 people in Israel were abducted during the assault, according to the Israeli government, including women, older people and young children.
Ms. Argamani’s abduction, in particular, became a symbol of the brutality of the attack, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli officials. In a video from the scene, Palestinian assailants can be seen driving Ms. Argamani away on a motorcycle as she cried for help and reached out to her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, as he was marched away.
The news immediately prompted jubilation in Israel, where fear for the fate of the roughly 120 remaining hostages — over 30 of them presumed dead — has grown as Israeli officials announced that several had been killed in captivity or their bodies had been brought back to Israel.
Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, hailed what he called a “complex operation” by Israeli soldiers, special forces and intelligence, who he said had “operated with extraordinary courage under heavy fire.”
The announcement came shortly after the Israeli military said it was conducting an operation targeting militant infrastructure in Nuseirat. Palestinians in Gaza reported frequent explosions through the morning in central Gaza.
Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, told reporters that the rescue mission took place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday morning. He said Israeli forces located the four hostages in two separate buildings where they were being held by Hamas militants. They came under fire but managed to safely extract the hostages, he said.
