Israel must ‘act fast’ to rescue hostages taken by Hamas in Gaza or risk losing them to Palestinian control, intelligence expert warns
- Counter-terrorism expert Aaron Cohen has issued a warning to the Israeli military
- Cohen says the hostage situation in Gaza is the most critical in the conflict zone
- The longer Israel waits, the more hostages the terrorists have to move
A counter-terrorism expert and former member of the Israel Defense Forces has issued a stark warning to ‘work fast’ to rescue hostages in Gaza taken by Hamas.
Aaron Cohen spoke to him Fox News saying that it is imperative to take what has been taken before the situation escalates.
“The longer Israel waits to be able to carry out those hostage rescues in Gaza, the longer the terrorists have to move around those hostages,” he said.
“Which makes it more difficult for the Mossad and our Shin Bet security or intelligence agencies to find them.
“So Israel has to work very quickly to be able to hit those targets.”
Cohen explained that “the longer they wait, the more hostages will be moved.”
Counter-terrorism expert Aaron Cohen has issued a warning to the Israeli military to ‘act quickly’ to rescue hostages in Gaza taken by Hamas.
“The more they get sick, the more tired they get, and the more Hamas will be able to continue to build layers between the Israeli intelligence agencies and those hostages,” he added.
The former Israeli special operator claimed that Israel is a ‘master’ of hostage rescue, which will come in handy during the recovery process.
He noted that Israel carried out one of the “most spectacular” rescue raids in 1976, when 103 hostages were taken captive in Entebbe, Uganda.
The hostages were flown there on a plane hijacked by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
“Israel invented or perfected the hostage rescue game and what we’re going to see now is Israel doing what it does best,” he said.
Images shared on social media appear to show an armed Hamas militant taking a bound and wounded Israeli woman hostage.
“It’s complicated, there are two different fronts here that Israel has to deal with.
“There are hostages currently being held inside Israel, and there are hostages being held right now in Gaza, whether they’re in tunnels, in buildings or in apartments,” adding that “time, if anything, is of the essence.”
“I believe you’re going to see Israel calling things out and doing what they do best, which is selective operations, using camouflage, using surprise, and using courage and persistence,” he said.
‘Let me tell you, those assets, they are equal to Delta Force. They are on par with DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six.
“The Israelis are well-tuned machines when it comes to these operations.”
Cohen noted that Israel carried out one of the “most spectacular” rescue raids in 1976 (pictured after the hostage takeover), when 103 hostages were seized in Entebbe, Uganda.
An Israeli hostage is greeted on her return to Israel after Operation Entebbe on July 3, 1976, in which Israeli special forces rescued 100 hostages held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.
The Israeli government officially declared war on Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.
More than 24 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion from Gaza, Israeli forces were still trying to crush the last groups of militant fighters holed up in several towns in southern Israel.
At least 600 people are reported to have been killed in Israel and more than 300 have been killed in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes hit the territory.
Authorities were still trying to determine how many civilians and soldiers were captured by Hamas fighters during the unrest and returned to Gaza.
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