The 71-year-old Argentinian-Israeli Luis Har, a hostage who was freed in a special forces operation in Rafah, Gaza, reflects on his captivity, rescue and the lasting effects thereof.
An explosion woke Luis Har in the middle of the night and he rolled off his mattress seeking cover. This was it, he thought, expecting the building where he was being held captive to collapse. Then came the massive gunfire. And someone shouted his name and called out: 'It's the IDF, we've come to take you home.' It was surreal, Har said of his Feb. 12 rescue by Israeli special forces after more than four months in Hamas captivity.
On the way I even asked one of the soldiers - 'Tell me, are you sure we're not in a movie?' Because I wasn't sure. So much had happened. Is it real, is it not real,' Har said. 'Even today, I don't know what is real and what is not.' Har, now 71, was taken hostage in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
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