The Israeli crack extraction unit ready to rescue Gaza hostages

A legendary Israeli special forces unit modelled on the SAS is on standby to attempt the rescue of hostages taken to Gaza, The Telegraph understands.

Specialising in hostage rescue and reconnaissance missions and counting several former prime ministers among its veterans, Sayeret Matkal is best known for its role in the 1976 Entebbe airport raid in Uganda, when its commandos saved 100 Israelis from Palestinian hijackers.

But with Hamas holding at least 100 Israelis and foreign nationals in locations across Gaza, and with the enclave believed to be laced with traps and defended by terrorist fighters, Israel is facing a hostage crisis on a scale never before seen.

Experts say Sayeret Matkal will be called upon because of its expertise, as well as the Yamam special forces unit of Israel’s national police. The US has also offered to help hostage rescue missions with planning and intelligence support.

“Israel has perfected the counter-terror hostage rescue mission… these units have been collecting intelligence and working closely with the Mossad and Israel’s Shin Bet service,” said Aaron Cohen, an Israeli special forces expert, referring to the country’s domestic and foreign spy agencies. “However these missions are extremely dangerous,” he added.

Hamas has already threatened to begin executing its prisoners in response to Israeli strikes on Gaza, and any rescue mission runs the risk of hostages being summarily killed by their captors at the slightest misstep.

The Entebbe raid pales in comparison to the complexity of this Gaza crisis, as the former involved just a handful of hijackers at Uganda’s international airport who were promptly shot dead by the Israeli commandos.

The mission involved the commandos hiding in a convoy of vehicles - including a large black Mercedes limousine resembling the one used by dictator Idi Amin - before launching their assault.

The commander of the operation, who was killed in battle, was Yonatan Netanyahu, the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu – now Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

The younger Netanyahu also served in Sayeret Matkal, taking part in a number of missions including the rescue of hijacked Sabena Flight 571, during which he was shot in the shoulder. Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett is another veteran of Sayeret Matkal.

Even in the successful Entebbe operation, three Israeli hostages were killed in the gunfight, reflecting the high risk that a bid to snatch hostages back from Gaza could go terribly wrong.

In this crisis, dozens of hostages are being used as human shields across the Gaza Strip. Israeli officials appear uncertain of, or unwilling to provide, a definitive figure for how many people are in Hamas captivity.

They have been placed in “all areas” of the Strip, Hamas says, in tunnels and apartment buildings but also probably in military sites to deter air strikes.

Israeli experts said one silver lining was that a larger number of hostages means leaks of their locations will be inevitable. Israel may already know exactly where some, or many, of the hostages are being hidden.

“When you have 100-130 hostages, it’s not easy to hide them. I believe we will find information about locations,” said Avner Avraham, a former Mossad officer. “But it’s very complicated, very difficult. It will take time and we will lose people, unfortunately.”

There is also an immense dilemma to face: even if a commando unit manages to successfully rescue a group of hostages if they are discovered, Hamas could retaliate by killing other prisoners.

By the same token, if a large force were sent and detected it could end in the same tragic result. One possibility is special forces being used at the same time as a ground invasion that will take up all of Hamas’ focus, allowing commandos to exploit the chaos and go in under the radar.

“The operations that we’re gonna be seeing in Israel in my opinion will be conducted via the smokescreen which will be connected to the major offensive Israel is preparing for right now,” added Mr Cohen in an interview with Fox News.

Founded in 1957, within a decade of Israel’s own foundation, Sayeret Matkal’s first crop of operatives were trained by Bedouin trackers. The group is marked out by its maroon berets and has taken part in every major conflict involving Israel since then - though Israel only acknowledged its existence in the 1980s.

The group is also known for its use of a modified Uzi automatic pistol fitted with a folding stock for greater accuracy, a major innovation at the time. Israel this year launched a pilot scheme in which women will be able to apply to the unit from November 2024 onwards.

But alongside its storied successes, the unit has suffered major setbacks and numerous missions have failed. In 1974, a botched attempt to rescue hostages in an elementary school led to 22 children being killed by Palestinian terrorists armed with automatic weapons and hand grenades.

In response, Israel created the Yamam special forces unit and ordered Sayeret Matkal to focus its training on overseas hostage situations. It later redeemed itself with the Entebbe operation, which immortalised Mr Netanyahu’s fallen brother as a national hero.

Soldiers wishing to join Sayeret Matkal must endure a gruelling selection process similar to the SAS courses in the Brecon Beacons. This is followed by paratrooper training and instruction in the use of light weapons, hostage rescue tactics and expertise in surviving for long periods behind enemy lines.

Towards the end of training, recruits also go through a two-week period of simulated captivity, where they are held in prison-like conditions, mistreated and interrogated to prepare them for the worst.