From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 26, 2023
IDF says 84-year-old hostage taken straight from Gaza in helicopter in ‘serious condition’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says released hostage 84-year-old Elma Avraham was taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in serious condition.
“Elma, who was returned to us in serious condition, was immediately evacuated by helicopter to the hospital. She was evacuated by IDF troops while still inside Gaza,” he says.
He says that, due to “medical reasons” and to ensure the safety of the hostages, 13 of them were escorted out of Gaza by special forces near the community of Be’eri, “in full coordination with Egyptian security authorities.”
Hagari says the war will not end until all the hostages are returned. “This is the ethical and moral duty of every IDF soldier and the bodies of the defense establishment,” he says.
