Israel ignores Biden's warning, blows away Hamas terrorists and frees hostages in Rafah

President Joe Biden cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday against executing a military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah. Hours later, Israel did so anyway, killing a handful of Hamas terrorists.

While Biden's national security spokesman claimed last week that such an operation would "be a disaster," Israeli commandos managed to successfully rescue two hostages: Fernando Simon Marmon, 61, and Louis Har, 70, both of whom were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Oct. 7 massacre.

According to Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Israeli commandos carried out the hostage rescue mission in Rafah early Monday morning.

"The hostages ... were held captive in harsh conditions," said Hagari. "They were intentionally held in the middle of a civilian neighborhood, inside a civilian building to try and prevent us from rescuing them. But we did."

The Times of Israel reported that the Yamam counterterrorism unit executed the mission in concert with the Shin Bet security agency and the IDF around 1 a.m. in Rafah. The commandos battled their way to the second floor of an apartment building deep inside Rafah where the hostages were being held, then breached with explosives nearly an hour later.

Hagari noted that after blowing away three terrorists at the scene, the commandos "hugged and protected Louis and Fernando with their bodies."

"The troops pulled Louis and Fernando out of the apartment and rescued them under fire, until they reached the safe zone," continued Hagari.

As the rescue operation unfolded, Hamas terrorists in the area reportedly moved in on the rescuers. The Israeli Air Force apparently made quick work of them with multiple airstrikes on adjacent buildings. Extra to air support, the rescuers had the backing of the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 13 command unit and the 7th Armored Brigade while making their withdrawal.

Hagari indicated that "many terrorists were eliminated tonight in this action."

The Guardian, a leftist publication out of Britain often critical of Israel's self-defense, claimed that mosques and several homes were targeted by Israeli airstrikes, tanks, and ships. Reuters reported that 67 Palestinians were killed in the operation.

After undergoing medical examinations, Marmon and Har, Argentine-Israelis, were reunited with their families.

Hagari stressed that the mission underscored the importance and moral impetus of such operations, especially when "134 men, women, children and elderly are still being held hostage in Gaza."

Netanyahu, whom Biden has allegedly called an "a**hole" thrice in recent instances, celebrated the win Monday, stating, "This is a day of joy mixed with sadness: Joy over the release of our hostages and sadness over our fallen soldiers. However, I would like to tell you that the freeing of Louis and Fernando was one of the most successful rescue operations in the history of Israel."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, joined other Israel critics in concern-mongering about the successful operation, stating, "I am especially concerned by the recent attacks on Rafah where the majority of Gaza's population has fled the destruction."

The Israeli prime minister welcomed the hostages home and stressed that "only continued military pressure, until total victory, will bring about the release of all of our hostages. We will not miss any opportunity to bring them home."

On Thursday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby claimed that an Israeli operation in Rafah "would be a disaster for those people, and we would not support it," reported the Washington Post.

A White House readout of Biden's Sunday call with Netanyahu indicates that the geriatric Democrat "reaffirmed his view that a military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible and executable plan for ensuring the safety of and support for the more than one million people sheltering there."

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