Two years after a daring Israeli commando raid pulled them from Hamas captivity, the IDF on Friday released raw, emotional footage showing the first moments of freedom for Fernando Marman and Luis Har — two men who survived 129 days in Gaza’s underground shadows.

The newly released video, compiled from body cameras worn by naval commandos from the IDF’s elite Shayetet 13 unit, captures the fragile transition from captivity to rescue in real time.

“We have two diamonds here,” one soldier says quietly at the start of the recording, referring to the rescued hostages.

The footage shows Marman, 61, and Har, 70, seated inside a military helicopter, dazed but alert, surrounded by soldiers who offer them water, earplugs and medical help as rotors thunder overhead.

At one point, Har tries to break the tension.

“Come visit me, and I’ll make you pizzas,” he tells the troops.

“We’ll come and make you pizzas,” a soldier replies.

Marman and Har were freed on February 12, 2024, during “Operation Golden Hand,” a high-risk nighttime raid deep inside Gaza. They had been abducted on October 7 during Hamas’s assault on southern Israel and held in captivity by Hamas for more than four months.

According to accounts given after their release, the two men were confined in harsh, degrading conditions, with little food and infrequent access to basic hygiene. Har later said they were allowed to bathe only once every few days — sometimes once every few weeks.

A medical examination after the rescue revealed the toll: Har had lost approximately 16 kilograms (35 pounds) during captivity.

The operation itself was carried out under intense pressure, with Israeli forces racing against time and intelligence uncertainties to extract the hostages without alerting their captors. Military officials later described it as one of the most complex hostage rescues in history.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)