IDF Special Forces involved in a failed hostage rescue operation in the Gaza Strip were severely wounded on Friday night when they raided a known Hamas compound and eliminated terrorists who took part in the kidnapping and holding of hostages.
Intelligence pointed to the likelihood of hostages being held there, but none were ultimately found.
Hamas released a video claiming that captive Kibbutz Be’eri resident Sahar Baruch was killed during the raid, but the IDF says it has confirmed that terrorists murdered him.
“The IDF continues to operate in a variety of operational and intelligence ways, together with the other security organizations, to free the abductees and gather information about them,” an IDF spokesperson said. “Hamas is trying and will try to produce psychological terror. Spreading unverified rumors and facts should be avoided.”
Baruch was kidnapped on October 7, the same day that terrorists murdered his brother, Idan. Sahar was thought to have been missing for weeks, until his family received the message that he was being held captive by Hamas.
Baruch was to begin the school year at Ben-Gurion University
His family, including his parents Tami and Roni, and siblings Guy and Niv, are demanding the return of his remains in any future hostage return deal.
The slain young man was an electrical engineering student at Ben-Gurion University, his family told Israeli media.
“Sahar was at home with his brother Idan at his mother’s house. They woke up in the morning like the rest of us from alerts and the explosions,” his aunt said in an interview with Israeli media.
“They entered and closed themselves in the safe room but couldn’t close the door, so they closed it with a cupboard. When the fire started, three grenades were thrown into the safe room. Idan was hit and Sahar treated him for hours,” she said.
“When the house started to burn and it was already too hot to stay [there], they decided to jump out,” she said. “Idan jumped and was probably shot and killed then. Sahar stayed behind for a few more minutes to bring him the inhaler, because Idan was asthmatic. For more than two weeks we did not know what happened to him – and then some information was received that he was not in Israeli territory.
“He was supposed to start the school year,” his aunt said. “He was already registered, and on the Wednesday after the disaster, we were supposed to go to Beersheba to choose an apartment.”