Kidnapped Israeli soldier freed from Gaza in IDF operation last night
Female soldier was kidnapped on Gaza border on October 7
Female IDF soldier Ori Megidish was freed during an IDF operation inside the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening, the Israeli Army and Israel's Shin Bet security agency announced on Monday.
Megidish is a soldier in the IDF’s border observation unit, called tatzpitaniyot in Hebrew.
She was kidnapped from her IDF base in Nahal Oz at the Gaza border during the murderous Hamas assault on Saturday morning, Oct. 7.
Megidish was brought back to Israel on Sunday, reportedly in good condition after being medically examined.
She was questioned about her time in captivity and met with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi before being reunited with her family.
A photo published on Monday evening shows her standing with her family members.
Just indescribable joy!
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 30, 2023
Ori Megidish, who was rescued after being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, is finally reunited and embraced by her family at home!
May all our hostages and their loved ones know only such good news!#BringThemHomeNow pic.twitter.com/smS0VNyprM
Israel did not release any details about the operation or the location where Megidish was being held.
The operation was carried out after several days of planning and following detailed intelligence that pointed to Megidish's location.
Israeli commando forces succeeded in the operation, despite armed resistance, the Israeli media reported.
“Last night our forces freed Private Ori Megidish from the hands of Hamas. Ori was kidnapped on the black morning of October 7th. Welcome home Ori,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Monday evening.
“I congratulate the Shin Bet and the IDF for this important and exciting achievement, which expresses our commitment to the release of all the abductees. The entire nation of Israel salutes the Shin Bet and salutes the IDF.”
“And to the terrorists of Hamas-ISIS, I say - you are monsters. We will continue to pursue you, we will continue to hunt you down. We will cripple you until you fall to our feet,” Netanyahu said.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the army operation, stressing that "This is further proof of our ability to reach the hostages, of the importance of the ground operation and above all our commitment to each and every one of the hostages."
Gallant noted that "as far as I'm concerned, the Hamas terrorists have only two options - either to die in battle against the IDF or to surrender unconditionally. There is no third option. This is true for terrorists on the ground and up to the organization's leadership."
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
