Yedioth Ahronoth Reveals Operations Conducted in Gaza to Attempt to Rescue Living Prisoners During the War

Translation by SadaNews - The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth revealed on Friday that during two years of war on the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army, in collaboration with the security establishment, attempted to work on rescuing prisoners from the hands of Hamas.

According to the Hebrew newspaper, as translated by SadaNews, there were several operations initiated, some of which were executed successfully to rescue some prisoners.

The newspaper claimed that some operations were on the verge of execution but were halted at the last moment out of fear for the safety of the prisoners or the forces carrying out the operation. Some were executed and indeed ended in tragic results that led to the death of prisoners who were not saved.

Some families of Israeli prisoners opposed operations that were executed or were about to be executed, such as the operation that took place in Rafah, during which two elderly prisoners were rescued. Their families believed there was a risk to either the prisoners or the soldiers, especially since they were elderly and their release would be inevitable in any deal due to their age.

The newspaper points out that most of the deceased prisoners whose bodies were recovered in operations were from inside tunnels, and there were no confrontations or clashes with any of the Hamas militants who were outside those tunnels, while the operations that took place to rescue living prisoners were in above-ground buildings.

It alleged that the failure to free living prisoners from the tunnels was due to the Israeli army's fear of blowing up those tunnels with large explosives, which could ultimately lead to the failure of their rescue.

The newspaper reveals, as translated by SadaNews, an operation disclosed for the first time that preceded the Rafah incursion by a long time, specifically in the first month after the October 7 attack, and just before the first prisoner exchange deal in November 2023.

It indicated that a plan was prepared to rescue several children and a woman who were held at that time in the Gaza Strip, with the operation being organized in a very short period during the phase when ground maneuvering was in its early stages only in the northern part of the strip.

It noted that when preparations reached an advanced stage, the operation was canceled on instructions from the highest levels due to concerns for the safety of the abductees, especially since they had been classified as civilians and were to be released in the first batch.

The newspaper revealed an operation to attempt to rescue a prisoner from one of the houses in Khan Younis in December 2023, after a special force from "Sayeret Matkal" arrived, where soldiers placed a small explosive at the entrance of the house and detonated it remotely. However, Hamas members immediately threw several hand grenades, with one exploding after another, leading to some soldiers being seriously injured, which delayed the operation; the prisoner who was inside at the time was killed, and Hamas members managed to seize his body and escape with it.

The report acknowledges that some Israeli prisoners were killed due to airstrikes in areas where they were located, even though a special unit monitoring this issue would approve operations after confirming that no prisoners were in those areas.

An Israeli security source claimed that the operations occurred unintentionally and without prior knowledge, indicating that there was pressure, especially from the political level, to move more quickly, particularly in the early months of the war, to achieve successes and eliminate as many senior officials as possible, while some leaders of the military and security level preferred to wait and be patient at times.