The Israeli occupation army announced "the liberation of two prisoners in a complex operation" carried out in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, with the participation of the army, Israel's National Counter-Terrorism Unit, "YAMAM", and the Israeli General Security Service "Shin Bet".
The operation was accompanied by a series of Israeli raids on the city, to which about 1.4 million Palestinians were displaced, fleeing war and fighting in other areas of the Strip.
Israeli occupation army spokesman, Daniel Hagari, said: “The hostages were being held in an apartment on the 2nd floor in Rafah under the guard of Hamas gunmen, whether in the apartment or in neighboring buildings.”
Hagari pointed out that "special forces stormed the apartment under fire at 1:49 a.m. on Monday, and at the same time carried out a series of air strikes targeting the surrounding areas."
He said, "Members of the rescue team protected the hostages with their bodies when a violent battle broke out in several places at the same time with many Hamas gunmen."
On Sunday night, the Israeli occupation forces launched violent bombardment on the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, leading to the martyrdom and injury of hundreds of Palestinians.
The Israeli army launched more than 50 raids on various areas of the city, targeting at least 15 houses, while the raids were described as the most severe on Rafah or its environs since the start of the war on Gaza.