The YAMAM on Sunday evening released newly declassified footage from Operation Arnon, the daring rescue mission that brought home four Israeli hostages - Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov - from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The footage documents the dramatic moments in which YAMAM officers simultaneously stormed two separate compounds where the hostages were being held. According to the video, the forces reached both locations at the same time, breached the buildings, located the hostages and quickly confirmed over the radio that they had secured them.
The operation was named after Arnon Zamora, who was fatally wounded during the mission. Officials said the operation was named in his memory in recognition of his courage, leadership and ultimate sacrifice while helping rescue the hostages.
Released footage shows Zamora participating in the assault and breaching one of the target buildings, alongside scenes of intense close-quarters combat inside the densely populated refugee camp.
Among the most emotional moments captured in the video is the first encounter between the rescue teams and the hostages. In footage from the rescue of Argamani, officers can be heard reassuring her, saying: "We have the diamond in our hands, Noa. Breathe. We're taking you home. Are you okay?"
As the rescue unfolded, Israeli forces engaged Hamas Nukhba operatives in fierce fighting throughout the area, securing the extraction of the hostages and their return to Israeli territory.
The commander of a YAMAM company and Zamora's direct commander described the operation and the assault on the apartment where three of the hostages were held. He said the force anticipated heavy resistance the moment it made contact with the target.
"We knew that as soon as we touched the building, significant fighting would begin," he recalled, adding that gunfire erupted from inside the apartment and the team moved toward the hostages within seconds.
A senior police officer revealed that Zamora was wounded during the breach itself.
"Arnon fell during the rescue operation, during the breach, when the distance between him and the hostages was perhaps a meter to a meter and a half," the officer said. "The force did not stop for a moment and continued until it reached the hostages."
The commander of the ISA operational force involved in the mission described months of painstaking intelligence work that made the daylight rescue possible. He highlighted the close coordination between intelligence and special operations units, saying the mission was conducted through full cooperation between ISA personnel and YAMAM commanders and officers.
The commander also paid tribute to Zamora, noting that he had known him for many years, including before the October 7 attacks, during which the ISA's operational unit lost three of its members. He described Zamora as a dedicated and courageous fighter whose actions were instrumental in the success of one of the most complex hostage rescue operations carried out during the war.