(9 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tel Aviv, Israel – 9 June 2024
1. Relatives of released hostage, Andrey Kozlov, walking to microphones to make a statement
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Michael Kozlov, father of Andrey Kozlov:
“We flew in today with Evgenia from St. Petersburg because we learned yesterday that our son was released. And we want to say how happy we are, how grateful we are to Israel and the armed forces, the Israeli intelligence services, for his release. We know that during his release one of the intelligence officers, Arnon Zamora, died. We express our deep gratitude to his family and pray for his feat, he is a true hero.”
3. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Dima Kozlov, brother of Andrey Kozlov:
“I am very glad that my brother is back, and we are very grateful to Israel for its support, to the Israeli military for what they did for us, for saving him. We are glad that he came back in full health, that he is the person we knew, that despite what he had been through, he came back the same person we loved. I’m very happy to see him… I’m very happy to see him, I missed him very much.”
4. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Evgenia Kozlova, mother of Andrey Kozlov:
“We are very happy to see that he is healthy. He looks healthy, he looks happy, he is infinitely happy that he is back home, we are infinitely happy to see him. He laughs, he jokes, he communicates with all of us with pleasure – with us, with his family, and with doctors, with the people who surround him, he is open to communication. He told us that every day in captivity he thought about his family and his closest (relatives), those people who were close to him. These thoughts helped him survive, and these thoughts helped him stay alive, healthy and sane, in his right mind.”
5. Relatives leaving
STORYLINE:
Relatives of a freed Israeli hostage say he is in full health and “came back the same person” despite all hardships he’d been through.
Michael Kozlov, father of Andrey Kozlov, who was among those taken from a music festival, said the family was grateful to Israel and its special services for rescuing his son.
“We know that during his release one of the intelligence officers, Arnon Zamora, died. We express our deep gratitude to his family and pray for his feat, he is a true hero,” he added.
Andrey Kozlov, 27, was working as a security guard at the Nova festival.
He had immigrated to Israel alone a year-and-a-half earlier.
Israel on Saturday carried out its largest hostage rescue operation since the latest war with Hamas began, taking four to safety out of central Gaza in a heavy air and ground assault.
At least 210 Palestinians, including children, were killed, a Gaza health official said.
Israelis were jubilant as the army said it freed Kozlov, Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; and Shlomi Ziv, 41, in a daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat, raiding two locations at once while under fire.
All were well, the military said.
They were taken by helicopter for medical checks and tearful reunions with loved ones after 246 days held.
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