New recordings of the rescues of Ori Megidish in October 2023 and Fernando Marman and Luis Har in February 2024 were released by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) on Tuesday. They were part of a new report on the year after the October 7 massacre.
Megidish was rescued on October 30 after she was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 from the Nahal Oz outpost, where she served as an IDF observer.
In the first recording, a woman’s voice can be heard saying, “Ori, Can you hear me? You are in good hands. The army rescued you. They are bringing you home. You are wonderful. Well done. You’ll be home soon.”
When asked if she was okay, Megidish can be heard saying, “Yes, I am okay.”
A subsequent medical examination determined that Megidish was healthy. She chose to return to the IDF Intelligence Unit in February. The decision stemmed from her “personal desire and from a sense of mission to serve the country,” she said.
Second recording
The second recording was taken during the rescue of Marman, 61, and Har,70, both Argentinian citizens, from Rafah on February 12. The operation was jointly carried out by the Shin Bet, the IDF, and the Border Police Counterterrorism Unit (Yamam).
One voice can be heard saying, “I say we dedicate [the mission] to Yossi Tahar, Amir Wax, Maor Shalom [three Shin Bet officers killed on October 7], and the nine [victims] from the Yamam. May their memories be blessed.”
A voice then says the first line of the Shema Yisrael prayer, and another person responds, “Kol hakavod” (congratulations).
The two hostages had been held on the second floor of a building that was heavily guarded. Israeli forces secretly entered the compound and used explosives, heavy fire, and precise intelligence about their whereabouts to rescue Marman and Har without Hamas terrorists being able to kill them first.
They were then evacuated to Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.
Five members of the Marman-Har-Leimberg family were taken hostage on October 7. The others, Gabriela Leimberg, 59, Mia Leimberg, 17, and Clara Marman, 64, were released in the November 2023 hostage-prisoner exchange.
Tahar, 39, was a married father of four who worked in a Shin Bet secret unit in charge of preventing terrorist attacks.
On October 7, he took a small combat team to rescue a wounded colleague. After rescuing the man, Tahar headed toward Kibbutz Mefalsim, where he killed two terrorists before he was shot and killed.
Shalom, 46, was a married father of three from Moshav Arugot who was killed by Hamas terrorists.
Wax, 48, was a married father of three who fell in battle with Hamas terrorists.