Heartwarming video captured the moment two rescued hostages were tearfully reunited with their loved ones after being held for four months by Hamas terrorists — where they were holed up in an apartment complex cooking for their captors.
Brothers-in-law Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Har, 70, were seen embracing relatives at the Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center after their rescue Sunday during a deadly raid on a residential building in Rafah, in the Gaza Strip.
Marman appears to be overcome with tears as relatives wrap their arms around him, with both men and their loved ones continually wiping tears from their faces.
Some of the men’s relatives were among the hostages released in November.
The men, both Argentinian/Israeli dual citizens, were kidnapped and taken to Gaza from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during Hamas’ Oct. 7 incursion, which started the war between Israel and Hamas.
Marman and Har were held on the second floor of an apartment complex and stayed with a Palestinian family who allegedly asked them if they were Jewish, Ynet News reports.
Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har were reunited with loved ones in Israel February 12, 2024. via REUTERSRather than bringing up their Israeli citizenship, the men answered that they were both “Argentinian,” leading the family to strike up regular conversations about soccer, their relatives said.
During their time in captivity, the men said they were tasked with cooking meals for the family while they were forced to survive mostly on pita bread and white cheese.
Marman and Har were notably seen having lost significant weight after their 129 days in Gaza, similar to what other freed hostages had experienced.
But despite staying in the family’s apartment, the men were not allowed to watch the news, which kept them from learning about the hostage exchange deal in November that saw their relatives go free.
They were rescued Sunday as Israeli soldiers raided a residential building in Rafah, where at least seven others were killed.
Both men are in good medical condition, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which shared footage of their reunion.
Officials said the rescue mission relied on “precise intelligence” and the area where the hostages were held had been under surveillance for “some time.”
Louis Har was freed in a special forces mission in Rafah, Gaza. via REUTERS
Har and Marman shared a tearful reunion with loved ones Sunday following their rescue. via REUTERSThe hostages were reached after an explosive breached the building and a heavy exchange of gunfire and airstrikes were carried out.
Israeli planes, tanks and ships all took part in the strikes that hit two mosques and multiple houses, residents told Reuters.
About 250 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists following their surprise cross-border assault last year, which killed about 1,200 people.
The men were reunited with their families at Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center in Israel. via REUTERS
The men were held for over four months following their Oct. 7 capture by Hamas. via REUTERSMore than 100 hostages — including Har’s partner and Marman’s sister, Clara Marman, their other sister Gabriela Leimberg and niece Mia Leimberg — were released by Hamas during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israeli officials believe roughly 100 hostages remain in Gaza. Hamas is also holding the remains of about 30 who were either killed on Oct. 7 or died in captivity.
Since Israel launched its retaliatory assault in Gaza, its military has killed 28,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the territory.
With Post wires
