- Soldiers with Israel’s elite Flotilla 13 unit, which specializes in counter terrorism, on Saturday stormed a checkpoint which had been overran by Hamas
- Body cameras worn by the soldiers shows them fighting the terrorists room-by-room: they rescued 250 hostages, and killed 60 militants
- A further 150 hostages are believed to have been taken by Hamas back to Gaza and are being held as human shields
Israel’s armed forces have released dramatic footage of the moment elite troops retook control of a checkpoint overrun by Hamas, and freed 250 hostages.
Video from body cameras worn by members of the Flotilla 13 elite unit was released on Thursday evening. The naval commando unit – the equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALS – is specialized in counter terrorism.
Bodies are seen on the floor of one darkened room. It is not known if they were hostages or terrorists.
In another room, a group of people are seen standing as the troops entered – presumably hostages.
‘Shayetet, Shayetet, stay in the bunker, we’re coming,’ one of the officers shouts – using the Hebrew name for their unit. The identities and nationalities of those rescued has not been disclosed, with around 20 Americans abducted still unaccounted for.
Hours after the remarkable footage was released, Israel’s military directed residents of Gaza City to evacuate ‘for their own safety and protection,’ ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive.
The announcement followed a UN spokesperson’s claim that the military directed an evacuation for all of northern Gaza, a region that is home to 1.1 million people – about half of the territory’s population – within 24 hours. The UN claims this is ‘impossible.’
Members of Israel’s elite Flotilla 13 unit are seen on Saturday retaking a checkpoint near the Gaza border from Hamas
Flotilla 13 is the equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALS, and they were sent to the site of Saturday’s attack immediately
The elite commandos are seen in body camera footage going door-to-door
During Saturday’s assault on the Sufa checkpoint, along the southern border with Gaza, towards the Egyptian border, the troops can be seen going door to door, flushing the terrorists out of the compound, and facing fierce resistance.
Shell casings fly as the Flotilla 13 troops engage the terrorists in gun battles.
The Israelis are shown throwing grenades into rooms to flush out the Hamas attackers.
The IDF said they had killed 60 Hamas terrorists, and arrested 26 – among them Muhammad Abu A’ali, the deputy commander of the Hamas southern Naval Division.
One man, who appeared to be naked, with blood on his back and shoulders, is seen being brought out and handcuffed.
Other hostages seized from a nearby music festival and from kibbutzim and villages close to Gaza were taken back into Gaza, to be used as human shields.
Their whereabouts are unknown, but it is considered likely they are being held in tunnels beneath the territory, and moved frequently to prevent rescue.
Joe Biden on Wednesday insisted that the United States was doing all it could to rescue the hostages.
He called the Hamas attack on Israel ‘the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,’ and a campaign of ‘pure cruelty’, adding once again that the United States stood solidly with Israel.
The death toll now stands at 1,200 in Israel, including 27 Americans, and another 1,500 in Gaza.
Hamas is believed to have taken 150 hostages, including Americans, and is threatening to execute them if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza.
Biden said that the United States was working feverishly to try and secure the release of the hostages.
The Israel forces are seen arresting a man, who had been stripped naked and was bloodied
The IDF forces are seen entering a darkened room inside the checkpoint compound
The IDF are seen inside the darkened rooms, believed to be bunkers beneath the checkpoint
The elite commandos are seen going room-by-room within the compound
‘We’re working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts,’ he said.
‘Now, the press are going to shout to me: what are you doing to bring these folks home? If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home.
‘Folks, there’s a lot we’re doing, a lot we’re doing.
‘I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home.
‘But the idea that I’m going to stand here before you and tell you what I’m doing is bizarre. So, I hope you understand how bizarre I think it would be to try to answer that question.’
John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, was asked at an earlier briefing whether the administration is in contact directly or indirectly with Hamas about securing their release, and whether he could describe their condition.
‘Now, where they are and in what condition, no,’ said Kirby.
A house is completely destroyed after being burned by Hamas terrorists during the attack at Kibbutz Be’eri, near the border with Gaza on October 11, 2023 in Be’eri, Israel
IDF Lotar unit soldiers are slowly checking the Kfar Aza kibbutz, passing from one house to another to clear them from any ammunition or threat. It was here that Hamas terrorists massacred families in their homes
An Israel Defence Forces source provided a photograph of a child’s blood-soaked bed in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom in southern Israel following a Hamas-led attack on the home
An Israeli soldier breaks down in tears at the sight of a family dining table on which there is still Challah bread from Friday’s Kiddush at the Kfar Aza kibbutz. Hamas terrorists massacred families here on Saturday
He said the White House does not know if they are being kept together, and whether they are being moved around.
‘Sadly we don’t know. And that makes efforts very, very difficult.’
He also told ABC White House Correspondent MaryAlice Parks he is ‘not aware of any specific proof of life on any individual hostage.’
Kirby added that the U.S. is in discussion with countries that have lines of communications with Hamas, such as Qatar, to discuss working to free the hostages. Several former senior Hamas leaders live in Qatar.
#Astonishing #moment #IDF #elite #force #retakes #military #post #overrun #Hamas #rescuing #hostages #killing #Hamas #fighters #capturing #top #terror #leader