From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 23, 2024
IDF spokesperson on ‘precise’ Rafah operation: ‘We’re going after Hamas. We’re going to release our hostages’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in an English-language video statement says the Hamas terror group is holding hostages in southern Gaza’s Rafah.
“Those who may have forgotten how savage and barbaric Hamas received a chilling reminder when they saw the horrifying footage of our girls being held in captivity. Those young girls need to come back home. They need to come back home to their families. We must do everything to fulfill our critical mission of bringing all our hostages home and ensuring an enduring defeat of Hamas,” Hagari says, referring to a recently released video showing the abduction of five female soldiers from the Nahal Oz base by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.
“We’re going after Hamas. We’re going to release our hostages from Hamas,” he says.
“Hamas is in Rafah, Hamas has been holding our hostages in Rafah, which is why our forces are maneuvering in Rafah. We’re doing this in a targeted and precise way,” Hagari adds.
