HOSTAGES RESCUED
In a daring operation in Rafah early on February 12, Israeli forces rescued two hostages, Fernando Marman, 60, and Louis Norbeto Har, 70, both immigrants from Argentina kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7. Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who visited Israel a week before, praised the IDF for the successful rescue of the two men, who were said to be in “good medical condition.” The IDF said at least 31 of the remaining 134 hostages had been confirmed dead. The IDF expanded its campaign, uncovering a command center used by Hamas under UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City. On February 11, Sgt.-Maj. Adi Eldor, 21, and Sgt.-Maj. Alon Kleinman, 21, were killed in battle in southern Gaza, bringing the death toll in the ground operation to 229. Meanwhile, four months after Israel declared war against Hamas, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shuttled across the region in an attempt to expedite a hostage deal. On his fifth trip since the Hamas attack on October 7, Blinken held talks in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Israel on a deal discussed at a Paris meeting of US, Israeli, Egyptian, and Qatari officials.
