13 Israeli Hostages to be Returned at 16:00
The IDF has finalized its arrangements for welcoming back the hostages returning from the Gaza Strip. In collaboration with various government departments and security agencies, the military has established a quick and efficient process for receiving these returnees, ensuring they are provided with the necessary support throughout.
Part of these preparations includes setting up primary reception areas where medical assistance will be available if required, along with necessary personnel for guidance and support. Subsequently, the returnees will be taken to hospitals to reunite with their families.
Medical Teams From Elite Rescue Unit
Every individual returning will be given specially acquired noise-canceling headphones, suitable even for children, to help mitigate the stress of the flight and provide a sense of safety and calm. Each helicopter deployed for this mission will carry a medical team from an elite rescue unit, comprising a team leader, three combat medics, and two doctors. Additionally, personnel management representatives will be present to accompany and assist the returnees during this transition.
The helicopter crews assigned to transport the returnees are trained to execute their task with empathy, humility, patience, and understanding. They are instructed to introduce themselves by name, engage with a friendly demeanor and a smile, maintain eye contact, and keep an appropriate distance to allow the medical and support staff to perform their roles effectively. The operation will involve four helicopters, including three heavy-lift types and one reconnaissance type.
Additionally, Hamas uses human shields by positioning military assets in densely populated areas, putting civilians at risk. There have also been reports of extrajudicial executions and harsh treatment of political dissidents in Gaza under Hamas rule. These actions have drawn condemnation from international human rights organizations, raising questions about Hamas’s commitment to human rights standards.
GRAPHIC WARNING October 7th Raw Video Footage
Credit: HamasVideo.com
How This All Started – October 7th Massacres
The Israel-Hamas War of 2023 began abruptly on October 7th, when Hamas orchestrated a comprehensive land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. This attack, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, caught many by surprise, especially as many IDF soldiers were on leave.
The assault was unprecedented in its scale, launching over 2,200 rockets in 20 minutes, breaching the border with explosives and bulldozers, and even infiltrating via motorboats and paragliders.
This devastating attack resulted in over 1,200 deaths, multiple instances of sexual violence and rape, mutilations, kidnappings of babies, women and children and various other atrocities perpetrated on Israelis by the Palestinian attackers and mobs, marking it as the deadliest day for Israel since its independenceโโ.
In response, the IDF declared a state of alert and began mobilizing its reserves, calling up more than 350,000 over the following days. By October 8th, Israel had declared itself in a state of war, the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Air strikes were initiated in the Gaza Strip, and a total siege was imposed, cutting off essential supplies. The war saw the difficulty in targeting terrorists and their weapon caches due to Gaza’s intricate network of tunnels, complicating rescue efforts for the hostages taken by Hamasโโ.
While the war primarily centered on the Gaza Strip, it wasn’t confined to it. IDF intensified its raids in the West Bank and conducted airstrikes for the first time since the second intifada. Skirmishes with Hezbollah near the Lebanese border raised fears of a second front.
Even the Houthi forces in Yemen attempted strikes on southern Israel, indicating a broader coordination among Iran-led resistance factions.