Israel celebrated with songs and fireworks following the rescue of an IDF soldier who was kidnapped during Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack during its final advances in northern Gaza.
Pvt. Ori Megidish was seen hugging his crying grandmother after she was returned to her family on Monday, as her loved ones and security forces applauded and blew kazoos to celebrate her successful rescue.
Festivities unfolded throughout the Megidish neighborhood in the southern city of Kiryat Gat, with revelers setting off fireworks in the streets, the Jerusalem Post reports.
“It’s like another birth,” Israeli media quoted neighbor Itamar Trobek as saying. “We are very happy. We saw the family, they were not the same as yesterday. We prayed a lot.”
The IDF identified Megidish as one of several soldiers who were taken hostage on October 7 after Hamas attacked their base in Nahal Oz.
Pvt. Uri Megidish (center) was back in Israel after being rescued from Gaza on Monday. AP Megidish was seen hugging his grandmother during a party for his rescue. Israel / Twitter
The army and the Shin Bet – Israel’s internal security service – said Megidish was in good condition after a medical check.
“Welcome home, Uri” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on. “I congratulate the Shin Bet and the IDF on this important and exciting achievement, an achievement that expresses our commitment to the release of all those abducted.”
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
“The entire nation of Israel salutes the Shin Bet and salutes the IDF. And to the Hamas and ISIS terrorists I say: you are monsters,” he added. “We will continue to pursue you, we will continue to hunt you. We will cripple you until you fall at our feet.”
Megidish’s aunt burst into tears at her niece’s return. N 12 Family and friends celebrated while waving the Israeli flag. REUTERS
The successful rescue comes as Netanyahu defends Israel’s continued ground incursion into Gaza ahead of an expected all-out attack, reiterating his government’s claim that “military pressure” remains the best course of action to rescue the 239 hostages taken. by Hamas.
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“Ground action actually creates the possibility, not the certainty, but the possibility of getting our hostages out because Hamas will not do it unless they are under pressure,” Netanyahu said during a press conference on Monday. “This creates pressure.”
Megidish was one of the IDF soldiers kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 when their base was attacked by terrorists. x/IDF
Although Hamas has stated that it will release the hostages if Israel agrees to a ceasefire, the Israeli prime minister has ruled out the option, stating that “it will not happen.”
“The calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism,” he said.
The United Nations is currently trying to negotiate a pause in the bloodshed that has left more than 1,400 people dead in Israel and reportedly more than 8,000 in Gaza.
Despite Netanyahu’s refusal, Israel’s Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer suggested that the Jewish state was open to a temporary ceasefire deal in exchange for the hostages in Gaza.
Revelers in the southern Israeli town of Kiryat Gat applauded the news of the soldier’s rescue. REUTERS
“We will do what we can to get them there safely, but it will be a temporary pause so we can transport them safely,” Dermer told reporters Monday.
The hostage situation in Gaza remains at the forefront of Israel’s war on Gaza, and Hamas has only released four hostages since the start of the conflict.
On Monday, the terrorist organization released a propaganda video of three kidnapped Israeli women appearing to berate Netanyahu and accuse him of wanting to kill hostages amid ongoing airstrikes in Gaza.
The Israeli prime minister condemned the video as “cruel psychological propaganda by Hamas-ISIS.”
Hamas claimed the video was so damning of Netanyahu that Israel attempted to divert attention by announcing the rescue of Megidish.
The Israeli government also recently confirmed that Shani Nicole Louk, a German-Israeli tattoo artist who was filmed parading through the streets of Gaza, had been beheaded after her skull was found.
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