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Israel-Gaza war: hostages reunite with families following dramatic rescue operation

  • Hostages Fernando Simon Marman and Luis Har were freed in dramatic raid in Gaza’s Rafah on Monday
  • Pair had been held by Hamas militants since the October 7 attack that triggered the Israel-Gaza war

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Fernando Simon Marman and Luis Har reunite with loved ones in Israel. Photo: Israel Defence Forces via Reuters
There were hugs and tears at Israel’s largest hospital as two Gaza hostages were reunited with their families after being rescued in a deadly military raid.
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Luis Har, 70, and Fernando Simon Marman, 60, embraced relatives at Sheba hospital after being airlifted from Gaza’s southern city of Rafah on Monday.

Agence France-Presse journalists in Gaza saw the bodies of some of around 100 Palestinians killed in air strikes accompanying the rescue operation, according to a toll from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Speaking from the hospital near Tel Aviv where the two rescued men were undergoing medical tests, Har’s son-in-law described “a lot of tears, hugs, not many words”.

Hostage Fernando Simon Marman, right, hugs a relative. Photo: Israel Defence Forces via AP
Hostage Fernando Simon Marman, right, hugs a relative. Photo: Israel Defence Forces via AP

“Luckily for us, as a family, they were saved tonight. But I must say that the job is not done,” Idan Bejerano told journalists.

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“It’s just another step towards bringing all the other” hostages home, he continued.

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