[Telegraph] Sayeret Matkal, modelled on the SAS, is waiting to be called up to embark on ’risky and dangerous’ missions into the Strip.
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.
Those hostages were as good as dead the minute they were abducted. Don't get ambushed on a suicide mission with little to no chance to free them alive
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.
JP - Women headed for IDF’s prestigious Sayeret Matkal? 
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