The images were grainy, chaotic, and almost impossible to process at first glance. It was June 2024. In the middle of a sweltering Saturday, the news started filtering out of Nuseirat in central Gaza that an operation—audacious, bloody, and incredibly high-stakes—had just pulled four people back from the brink. While the headline often focused on the total number, the specific stories of the 3 Israeli hostages released alongside Noa Argamani—Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, and Almog Meir Jan—offer a brutal, necessary look at what survival actually looks like in 2024.
People often get the details of Operation Arnon mixed up. They focus on the Hollywood-style extraction. But if you look closer, the reality was much more grounded in the agonizing wait of families and the sheer physical toll of 245 days in captivity.
The Nuseirat Reality: How 3 Israeli Hostages Were Released
It wasn't a quiet handoff. Not even close. When we talk about the 3 Israeli hostages released in this specific mission, we are talking about a daylight raid in one of the most densely populated areas on earth.
Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv, and Almog Meir Jan were being held together in a single room within a residential building. Think about that for a second. These weren't underground tunnels, at least not at the end. They were in a "civilian" apartment. The IDF, Yamam (elite counter-terrorism), and Shin Bet had been planning this for weeks. They even built models of the buildings.
The rescue of these men happened simultaneously with Noa Argamani's rescue, which was taking place about 200 meters away. Why? Because if they hit one building, the guards in the other would likely kill the remaining hostages. It had to be frame-perfect.
The three men were rushed into a vehicle under heavy fire. The vehicle broke down. Can you imagine the terror? You've been a prisoner for eight months, you're finally in a "rescue" van, and the engine dies while RPGs are flying at you. Eventually, they made it to the helicopters on the beach.
Who are these men, really?
We tend to see hostages as symbols. We forget they are just guys who were working a job or dancing at a festival.
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- Andrey Kozlov was 27 at the time. He’s a Russian immigrant who had only been in Israel for about a year and a half. He was working security at the Nova Music Festival. He didn't even speak fluent Hebrew when he was taken.
- Shlomi Ziv was 41. He was also working security. He’s a local from a northern moshav. His family described him as the "anchor" of their house.
- Almog Meir Jan was 21. He had just finished his army service. He was supposed to start a new job on October 8th. Instead, he spent his 22nd birthday in a room with Andrey and Shlomi.
The bond these three formed is something we don't talk about enough. They weren't just "hostages." They became a survival unit. They shared what little food they had. They kept each other sane. Honestly, that’s probably the only reason they walked out of those helicopters appearing as "okay" as they did, though "okay" is a relative term when you've lost 20 pounds and haven't seen the sun in months.
The Psychological Weight of the Return
Returning home isn't a "happily ever after." It's a new kind of war.
For Almog Meir Jan, the tragedy didn't end with his rescue. When the IDF arrived at his father’s house to deliver the good news, they found his father, Yossi, dead. He had passed away from a heart attack just hours before the rescue team reached him. He died of a broken heart, literally, never knowing his son was safe.
This is the nuance the news often skips. You see the hug at the hospital, but you don't see the funeral the next day. You don't see the survivor's guilt that Andrey and Shlomi likely carry.
Health and Recovery Post-Release
Dr. Itai Pessach at Sheba Medical Center was one of the primary doctors treating the 3 Israeli hostages released. He was very blunt with the press. He noted that while they looked "stable," they suffered from significant malnutrition.
They had muscle wasting. Their skin was pale from lack of Vitamin D. But the psychological trauma is the real beast. In Gaza, they were subjected to "emotional fluctuations"—one day their captors would be "kind," the next they would threaten to kill them. That kind of intermittent reinforcement is a classic torture tactic. It breaks the brain's ability to trust.
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When they came back, they had to be reintroduced to food slowly. You can't just give a starving person a pizza. Their electrolytes would spike and could actually kill them (Refeeding Syndrome). It was all about IV fluids and slow, controlled nutrition.
Why This Specific Rescue Changed the National Narrative
Before June, the national mood in Israel was bottoming out. People thought the hostages were all dead or that a rescue was impossible.
The fact that the 3 Israeli hostages released—plus Noa—came back alive in a "special op" gave a temporary jolt of hope. But it also sparked a massive debate. The operation resulted in high casualties in Gaza. The Hamas-run health ministry claimed over 200 people died during the crossfire. The IDF disputed this, saying the number was lower and mostly combatants, but the international pressure shifted immediately.
It highlighted the impossible math of this conflict: How much risk is a state willing to take for its citizens?
For the families of the 100+ hostages still left behind, the release of Shlomi, Andrey, and Almog was bittersweet. It proved rescue could happen, but it also made them realize how rare these miracles are. Most hostages come back in deals, not in helicopters.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Hostage Experience
There’s this idea that hostages are kept in "dungeons." Sometimes they are. But these three men were kept in a middle-class apartment.
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This is a key detail. It means the "civilian" population in Gaza is deeply intertwined with the logistics of the captivity. The apartment belonged to a journalist for Al-Jazeera (Abdallah Al-Jamal), though the network denied he was a staff member at the time. Whether he was a freelancer or a staffer is almost secondary to the fact that he was a member of the community holding people in his home.
This complicates the "innocent civilian" narrative that is so polarized on social media. It shows a gray area where the line between combatant and resident is blurred, making the rescue of the 3 Israeli hostages released even more complex for the soldiers on the ground.
The Survival Tactics of the Trio
They had a routine. They learned to read their guards' moods. They exercised in a tiny space to keep their blood flowing.
Andrey Kozlov actually learned some Hebrew from Shlomi and Almog. Imagine that. In the middle of a war zone, in a room you can't leave, you're practicing verb conjugations. It’s a testament to the human spirit's refusal to just sit down and die.
Actionable Insights for Understanding the Ongoing Crisis
If you are following the news of the 3 Israeli hostages released and want to understand what comes next, here is how to process the information:
- Look past the "Rescue" High: The immediate euphoria of a rescue often masks the long-term medical and psychological needs of the survivors. Support for these individuals needs to last for years, not weeks.
- Verify the Source of Casualty Counts: In high-intensity rescue missions like Nuseirat, casualty numbers fluctuate wildly. Cross-reference reports from the IDF, Palestinian health officials, and independent NGOs to get a clearer picture of the collateral impact.
- Understand the "Tunnel vs. Apartment" Dynamic: Knowing where hostages are held changes the military strategy. Rescuing people from a building is a different tactical beast than a tunnel raid, requiring different gear and vastly different risks to the hostages themselves.
- Follow the Negotiated Deals: While the June rescue was a military success, the vast majority of hostages who have returned did so through diplomatic mediation. Keep an eye on Qatar and Egypt’s roles, as those are the primary avenues for the remaining families.
The story of Andrey, Shlomi, and Almog isn't just a footnote in a war. It's a case study in resilience, the cost of urban warfare, and the complicated reality of a region where nothing is ever as simple as a headline makes it seem. They are home now, but the echo of that room in Nuseirat will likely follow them, and the discourse around them, for a long time.