Former senior officer at the YAM: Rescue? "The incident should be over within 10 seconds""

June 9, 2024   

Aaron Axel, former deputy commander of the IDF, said this morning (Sunday) after the rescue of the four hostages on Saturday morning, that from the moment the fighters arrived at the door of the house, they had 10 seconds to end the operation. Were you passed in line? Before you get upset, check if you're eligible for this too Regarding the unit's role in the rescue, Axel said on Gali Israel Radio: "I wasn't surprised, because I know this unit quite well and its capabilities. This is a unit whose sole purpose is training, while waiting precisely for these complex moments." He added: "Yesterday it was a complex and complicated operation because it was enemy territory. To enter quietly, to surprise and to carry out this rescue - that is a heroic operation in itself. The arrival must be quick and quiet and the activity must happen within just a few seconds, every slightest delay, every second less costs a hostage's life. "There is the minute or two that you arrive in the area, but from the moment you arrive at the door of the house, when you make the incident 'noisy', 10 seconds the incident has to end, after that you have no advantage in the incident." In the heroic operation, four hostages were rescued to Israel: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andriy Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, from two apartments in Nussirat. The breaking force of the YAMM and the Shin Bet in the operation entered Gaza, according to Palestinian reports, in civilian trucks. The fighters arrived within a few minutes at the buildings where the hostages were being held and entered the buildings under fire. Only at this stage, when the Air Force Extensive attack in Nussirat, additional forces from the IDF and the IDF, tanks from the 7th Armored Brigade, and paratroopers and Kfir fighters were deployed to the scene - who helped the IDF fighters and the hostages leave the scene. Indiscriminate fire was opened at the rescue vehicle in which there were three hostages, paratroopers arrived at the scene and helped rescue the hostages and the force back to Israeli territory. The hostages were held alongside families under heavy security in Nussirat, inside three- or four-story buildings, with 200 meters separating each building. The kidnapped men were held separately by a purple motorcade. The forces split into two and operated in parallel, with the understanding that if they operated in one location, there would be danger to the hostages in the other location.