Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Israel Defense Force (IDF) and Shin Bet, the country’s internal security services, for rescuing Monday a female soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas during the Palestinian terror organization’s unprecedented attack on the Jewish state earlier this month.
“Last night, our forces liberated Pvt. Ori Megidish from Hamas captivity. Ori was abducted on the black morning of October 7th. Welcome home Ori!” Netanyahu said in a statement.
She is home.
PVT Megidish was abducted by Hamas on October 7. Tonight, she was released during ground operations.
Ori is now home with her family. pic.twitter.com/7Arr9835Ws
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 30, 2023
“I commend the ISA and the IDF for this important and moving achievement, which expresses our commitment to bring about the release of all the hostages,” the prime minister added.
Netanyahu also reaffirmed the IDF’s commitment to destroying Hamas, referring to the terrorist fighters as “monsters.”
“We will continue to pursue you. We will continue to hunt you. We will strike you until you fall at our feet,” the leader vowed.
Following her rescue, Megidish underwent a medical examination and was determined to be “relatively healthy,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
קשה שלא לדמוע הערב pic.twitter.com/7CYA99IAqN
— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) October 30, 2023
The rescue comes after Hamas published a propaganda video featuring three hostages demanding Netanyahu agree to a prisoner swap of all Palestinian terror prisoners in return for the now-remaining 238 hostages in Gaza.
As previously noted by the Post, Hamas is infamous for “waging psychological warfare” and their media is “not to be taken at face value.”
Netanyahu’s office criticized Hamas’s propaganda video, branding it “cruel psychological propaganda.”
“To Yelena Trupanob, Daniel Aloni, and Rimon Kirsht, who were abducted by Hamas, which is committing war crimes. I embrace you. Our hearts are with you and the other the captives,” the prime minister said. “We are doing everything to bring home all of the captives and missing.”
Meanwhile, Mossad Director David Barnea is said to have made a secret trip to Qatar over the weekend to meet with the country’s senior officials to discuss negotiations around freeing the remaining hostages in Gaza. “[Barnea] resumed the hostage talks, which two sources brief on the issue said were positive and constructive but haven’t led to a breakthrough,” Axios reports. “A third source briefed on the talks said progress had been made. The Mossad is Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.”
