New details surrounding a failed rescue operation were released Thursday evening, coinciding with the return of the body of hostage Sahar Baruch to Israel under the agreement with Hamas.
On December 8, 2023, an elite Sayeret Matkal unit raided a building in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza in an effort to rescue Baruch from captivity.
During the operation, the soldiers encountered fierce resistance from Hamas terrorists. Baruch was killed in the exchange of fire. The following day, Hamas announced his death, prompting the IDF to confirm the operation and its tragic outcome.
It is important to note that the military investigation launched after the incident has not yet determined whether Baruch was killed by IDF fire or by Hamas.
The Baruch family requested that the IDF officially declare that Sahar was murdered while in captivity.
On Thursday evening, as part of the current agreement with Hamas, Baruch’s body was returned to Israel and transferred to the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine for identification. Forensic experts hope the findings may help determine the circumstances of his death.
Baruch, 25, was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, after he and his brother Idan attempted to escape their home, which had been set on fire by Hamas terrorists.