Israeli special forces disguised themselves as Palestinian refugees during a daring rescue operation this weekend, according to two Israeli security sources. The elite troops posed as refugees seeking shelter to infiltrate the buildings where hostages were held.

Before receiving the command to proceed, these special forces had already positioned themselves near the hostage locations. Once the operation commenced, helicopters carrying the rescued hostages and injured officers landed at Sheba Medical Center in Israel between 12:15 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. local time.

The rescue mission, named "Operation Arnon" in honor of a fallen security officer, involved the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and the Israeli SWAT team known as YAMAM. The hostages rescued were Almog Meir Jan (21), Noa Argamani (25), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), all of whom had been abducted from the Nova music festival in Israel on October 7.

IDF officials reported that the rescued hostages were in "good medical condition." Professor Itai Pessach, head of the medical team at Sheba Medical Center, stated that the hostages were in better physical condition than expected, though they had endured significant physical and psychological abuse during their captivity.

The hostages were freed from two separate locations in Nuseirat, central Gaza. The three male hostages were rescued from one site, while Noa Argamani was found in another. Nuseirat has become a refuge for thousands of people fleeing conflict throughout Gaza.

During the IDF operation in Nuseirat, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 were injured.

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