A love letter to Yamam

February 12, 2024
Day 129

Headline on Times of Israel: IDF rescues 2 hostages from south Gaza’s Rafah in daring nighttime operation

Yamam (the counterterrorist unit), with help of the Shin Bet and cover from a number of units and the IAF, got two of our hostages out. Smoothly, without issue, and only light injuries to an Israeli soldier. That’s the IDF we all know and love, and are hella impressed by.

Two rescued hostages, courtesy of the families.

“This is an operation that we prepared for and were waiting for the conditions that would make it possible to carry it out,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said, adding that the IDF and Shin Bet have been working on the rescue plans “for a long time.”

Our IDF is working harder than anyone is giving them credit, and we don’t even know what they are working on. Perhaps they know where more hostages are, perhaps they are building rescue scenarios as we sit at our desks and work on this Monday morning. As civilians, we don’t know and we don’t get to know.

Though we are having a bit of trouble with it, what we do need to do  right now is trust them. The IDF and the government have not given up on the hostages and it looks like we have not given up on finishing the job and clearing Gaza of Hamas, Israelis’ biggest fear.

Hagari said that “even this morning, we don’t forget for a moment that 134 hostages are still being held in Gaza.”

We simply cannot have this an October 7 incident happen again; it is unacceptable. Because of this, while we were/are finishing up in Khan Yunis, there was no hesitation in entering Rafah despite warnings from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Jordan and a suggestion from US President Biden to protect civilians.

And already, we have rescued two hostages: fathers, grandfathers, brothers-in-law. We have killed a senior Hamas police official, Ahmed Al-Yaaqoubi, who the IDF and Shin Bet said was responsible for security arrangements of senior Hamas officials and served as a senior officer in the Rafah district’s secret police department.

But we also suffer losses and we will honor them. With memories of them, with photographs, stories, but also, by making their deaths part of a greater goal: to defend the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

Two IDF soldiers killed (courtesy)

Sgt. First Class Adi Eldor, 21, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Alon Kleinman — may  memories of you be a blessing and a comfort, and your spilled blood be avenged.