Israel has put its elite band of special hostage extraction soldiers on standby to try and save the civilians taken into Gaza by Hamas terrorists on Saturday.
Sayeret Matkal, a unit modelled on the British SAS, is confronting what is perhaps the toughest assignment in its history as it seeks to safely secure those being held on the perilous strip of land on the Mediterranean coast.
The unit famously rescued 100 Israelis from Palestinian plane hijackers that took over a passenger flight in 1976.
This time, the hostage extractors are tasked with saving 150 of their fellow citizens in a densely populated area mined with traps and Hamas fighters thirsty for their blood.
Hamas has threatened to murder a hostage for every Israeli bomb that falls on Gaza without warning, however it’s not yet clear whether or not the terror group has followed through on this threat.
Although a tiny strip of land at 139 square miles, Gaza is exceptionally densely populated, with 15,000 people for every one of those square miles.
Israeli forces would be entering a lion’s den filled with two million inhabitants, some of which would want them dead and would be armed to the teeth.
Despite being aerially monitored, Israeli intelligence forces are not well-informed about the precise goings-on in the Gaza Strip and the clock is ticking.
The Telegraph reports that alongside the Sayeret Matkal officers, Yaman special forces from the Israeli national police force may also be called upon to rescue the captured nationals.
Israeli special forces expert Aaron Cohen told The Telegraph: “Israel has perfected the counter-terrorism hostage rescue mission… these units have been collecting intelligence and working closely with the Mossad and Israel’s Shin Bed service.
“However, these missions are extremely dangerous”.
The man who will decide whether or not to deploy Sayeret Matkal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose brother, Yonatan, was killed while serving in the elite fighting force in the famous 1976 raid.
Mr Netanyahu also served in the unit, being shot in the shoulder in the Sebena Flight 571 hijacking in 1972.
