The best news possible is coming out of Israel today. The IDF rescued four hostages simultaneously in daring daytime raids of two Hamas buildings in Nuseirat on Saturday. All of them were taken from the Nova Musical Festival on October 7, 2023.

The rescue operation happened in the central Gaza Strip. All are alive and reported to be in good shape. 

Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, had been abducted from the Supernova music festival near the community of Re’im on the morning of October 7, when some 3,000 Hamas-led terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in a murderous rampage in southern Israel.

Officers of police’s elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, along with Shin Bet agents, simultaneously raided two Hamas buildings in the heart of central Gaza’s Nuseirat, a joint statement said. Argamani was rescued at one site, while Meir Jan, Kozlov, and Ziv were at the second location.

Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40) were rescued in a special operation by the IDF, ISA and Israel Police from 2 separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat after being kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival.

They are in good… pic.twitter.com/PnkjL4GRQz

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 8, 2024

Noa is free! We rejoice over the release of all four but her rescue is particularly uplifting because we have seen the video of her capture over and over again over the last eight months. Her father was reunited with her. 

7 Oct: The moment Noa Argamani was captured and dragged off and screaming on a motorcycle.

8 June: The moment she hugs her father after rescue. pic.twitter.com/cXc8STFGvs

— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) June 8, 2024

A Coke and a smile. Noa enjoyed a Coke with her father and smiled a lot. 

Following her release, Noa was pictured enjoying a Coca Cola with her father, and filmed receiving phone calls from President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu. 

'I am so happy to be here,' she said in her call with Herzog in a video distributed by his office.

'Thank you for everything, thank you for this moment,' she said, sitting with her father in a hospital room.

This is the reason we are fighting this war.

Welcome home Noa, Shlomi, Almog and Andrey. pic.twitter.com/Rvbagjjo2X

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) June 8, 2024

According to the IDF, hundreds of soldiers participated in the rescue operation. They rescued the four hostages while under fire. Sadly, a Yamam officer was critically wounded and died at an Israel hospital.

All of the four hostages were taken by helicopters from the Gaza Strip to Israeli hospitals for evaluation. 

Heavy airstrikes were carried out against Hamas sites in support of ground troops. Hamas propaganda via their health authorities reported that 50 Palestinians were killed. Hamas propaganda doesn't distinguish between Hamas terrorists and civilians. 

The rescue operation was planned for many weeks and intelligence was complex to obtain. 

Noa and her terminally ill mother have been used in Hamas propaganda during her captivity. Besides the video of Noa's capture, as she was taken away by Hamas on a motorcycle, her mother has pleaded for Noa's return. 

Noa was featured in a Hamas propaganda video published in January. Another clip featuring her voice was aired last week. 

A timeframe for the audio has not been confirmed. It is Hamas propaganda. 

“I appeal to the people of Israel, save us,” she said in the recording, which is assumed to have been dictated to her by her captors.

“Go out to the streets to demonstrate, shut down the streets of Tel Aviv and don’t come home until we return. Don’t let [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and the government kill us. Save us, time is running out, the people must decide. We don’t want to die here.”

Noa was reunited with other family members at the hospital on Saturday.

Netanyahu released a statement. He also visited Argamani and Kozlov at the hospital.

Once again you have proven that Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with creativity and boldness that knows no bounds, to bring home our hostages,” the premier said in a statement. “We are committed to doing so in the future as well. We will not let up until we complete the mission and return all our hostages home – both the living and the dead.”

What is next? Families of the hostages have become more strident and loud about pushing for deals that might lead to the return of their loved ones. Many take out their frustration on Netanyahu. That is all understandable.  Just imagine the stress and fear the families live with every day as they wait for information about their loved ones. 

I hope this renews President Biden's moral clarity in how he chooses to support Israel against Hamas. He's gone wobbly in hopes of securing the votes of Muslim Arab Americans in November. Biden has joined progressive Democrats and called for a ceasefire, sometimes without mentioning the hostages. There are still Americans being held hostage in Gaza. Biden should be talking about them every chance he gets. 

This rescue operation shows that given the opportunity, the IDF can put together a plan and rescue hostages. Israel does not need Biden to micromanage the war. Biden has no military background. He has the stench of the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan on him. Biden threatens delays in munitions shipments if Netanyahu does not comply with Biden's demands. Biden's craven chase for Muslim voters for his re-election endangers Israel and empowers Hamas. 

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant continues to work with Netanyahu but is sometimes frustrated with Netanyahu's leadership. Benny Gantz, a war cabinet minister, is expected to resign soon. That may have been postponed after today's news. Netanyahu faces pressure domestically and internationally, including the United States. Joe Biden needs to step back and quit trying to take credit for Israeli success. 

Let Netanyahu and his war cabinet do their job. Destroy Hamas and bring the hostages home. Then there can be a ceasefire. Anything less is unacceptable.