Freeing 2 prisoners from Rafah not victory for Israel: Hostage relative

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army's claims of freeing two Israeli hostages from Rafah are not considered a victory to Tel Aviv, said a relative of one of the prisoners that the military claimed to have rescued on Monday.

"The fact that we are happy today does not mean that we are victorious," Eidan Piarno, the son-in-law of the freed Louis Har, 70, told Israeli Radio 103-FM.

"There are still 134 hostages, with unknown fate. The struggle must continue to bring them back home," he added.

The Israeli military claimed Monday in a post on X that two Israelis being held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip "were rescued during an overnight mission."

"During a joint operation by the IDF (Israeli army), ISA (Israeli Security Agency), and Israeli Police, two Israeli hostages from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak were rescued: Fernando Simon Marman (60) and Louis Har (70)," it said.

More than 100 people were killed late Sunday in Israeli attacks on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

The area sits on Gaza's border with Egypt, where Israel forced civilians to evacuate to, claiming it was a safe zone.

The Israeli army on Sunday approved a plan for a ground offensive in Rafah.

Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah as Israel pounded the rest of the enclave since Oct. 7.

The ensuing Israeli bombardments have killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

* Writing by Mohammad Sio