An Israeli K-9 unit is considered the hero in an effort that rescued more than 200 civilians around the Gaza Strip. The rescue took place while the area was under fire.
Israeli soldiers have reportedly been paired up with K-9 units in several battles that have taken place around Gaza, according to Fox News. The K-9 units have taken place in several rescue missions that have "saved lives, and eliminated terrorists who had barricaded themselves in houses."
The report noted that commanders and soldiers from the Oketz K-9 unit were divided up into three separate groups in order to cover more ground around the Gaza Strip. Not only did the groups reduce a number of hostages, they successfully eliminated more than 10 Hamas terrorists, per the report.
One canine named "Naro," initially tasked with snuffing out terrorists and weapons, discovered the location of a planned ambush on Israeli forces. Naro attacked a gunmen for Hamas during one battle at Kibbutz Afar Aza. However, Naro was ultimately killed amid the fighting.
Israeli soldiers were able to locate Naro's body after the battle and return him home for burial at a later date.
A second K-9 named "Charlie" was successful in locating a senior Hamas leader and made first contact before soldiers followed up and apprehended the terrorist, according to the report. The K-9 units are prepared to set their sights on an offensive operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Israel Defenses Forces Spokesman's Unit, "The next step is to enter the Gaza Strip." The commander went on to say that "[t]he mission is to neutralize all the terrorists we confront in the field; we are ready, we are strong, we are united, and we are going to win."
At the time of this report, nearly 30 Americans and at least 1,300 Israeli have been killed in the attacks by Hamas. The most recent dispute broke out last weekend, when Hamas militants carried out a surprise attack against Israel, killing and abducting civilians.
It is estimated that Israel's retaliation on Hamas has resulted in the death of 1,500 Hamas militants in Israel, per the report.
The Oketz Unit, according to the IDF website, "operates with specially trained dogs for missions in the field of counter-terrorism, search and rescue, and other specific purposes. The unit operates in all regions of the country. Joining the unit is voluntary and therefore soldiers undergo difficult selection and testing before joining the unit. Each dog is trained to have a specific specialty (attack, search and rescue, locating weapons, detecting explosives, etc.)."
"Oketz was set up in Sirkin Base in 1974, following the wave of terrorist attacks that hit Israel in the early 1970s. The unit then had just 11 soldiers. In the 1970s and 1980s, the unit participated in dozens of secret missions. It operated in total secrecy until 1988, when the unit was revealed to the public for the first time following an operation in Lebanon."
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