Israel At War Monday Feb 12

 Israel at war day 129

- Another 3 soldiers killed in Gaza total at 232

- Senior U.S. Officials have stated that prior to any Ground Operation into the City of Rafah and the Southern Gaza Strip, they expect the Israel Defense Force and other Agencies to conduct more Hostage Rescue Operations within the City.

- Hamas' armed wing said on Monday that three of eight Israeli hostages who were seriously injured following Israeli airstrikes had died from their wounds.

- Under pressure from the US an Israeli delegation led by the head of the Mossad will leave for Cairo tomorrow to participate in the latest round of hostage negotiations.  

- Biden says alongside Jordan’s king Abdallah that “the United States is working on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas which would bring immediate and sustained period of calm into Gaza for at least 6 weeks."

-NBC: Biden has said he is trying to get Israel to agree to a cease-fire, but that Netanyahu is impossible to deal with

- Another two soldiers killed in Gaza in Khan Younis bringing Gaza death toll to 229

Adi Eldor, 21 of Chaifa

Alon Kleinman, 21 of Tel Aviv.

- IDF safely rescues 2 hostages from Gaza’s Rafah in daring nighttime operation

Fernando Marman (61) and Louis Har (70) in good condition 

Hamas says over 50 killed in Rafah amid heavy fire, IDF says ‘many terrorists killed

- IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari offers details on the rescue of hostages Marman and Har. “The IDF and the Shin Bet have been working on this operation for a long time,” he says. “Conditions were not ripe to carry it out until now, and we waited for them to ripen.”

He adds: “Reaching the target in the heart of Rafah was very complex.”

“Forces clandestinely arrived at the target at around 1 a.m., and carried out a very complex action on the premises and the second floor where the hostages were held.” He says preparations included “backup, a major aerial envelope, and intimate intel.”

Forces then broke into the building through a locked door and exchanged fire with gunmen in the building and in adjacent buildings, while extracting the hostages to armored vehicles.

“There was intense firepower from the air. Fire was opened from nearby buildings. The Air Force struck intensively there,” he says. At the same time, the armored corps also provided cover for the extraction.

Hagari says “many terrorists were eliminated tonight in this action,” including at least three in the building where the hostages were held.

One soldier was lightly injured, but beyond that, no Israelis were hurt.

“The entire operation lasted about an hour from start to finish.”