From the Liveblog of
Saturday, June 8, 2024
Name of hostage rescue mission changed to ‘Operation Arnon’ in honor of slain officer
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The name of the hostage rescue mission in the central Gaza Strip today has been changed to “Operation Arnon” after Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora who was killed while battling Hamas operatives.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi spoke with the commander of the police’s Yamam counter-terrorism unit, Commander “Het” — his first initial in Hebrew — to praise the unit for their “brave and determined action” in the rescue operation, the military says.
The IDF says Halevi agreed with the Yamam commander to change the name of the operation in honor of Zmora.
During the raid this morning, Zmora was fatally wounded by Hamas fire while breaching into a building where three of the four hostages were being held. He was taken to a hospital in Israel where he died.
Zmora, 36, is survived by his wife and two children.
On October 7, he led a battle against Hamas near the border community of Yad Mordechai, killing dozens of terrorists and preventing them from infiltrating the kibbutz.
After that battle, Zmora was involved in fighting at the Nahal Oz base and in Be’eri.
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