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On April 7, 1980, five militants from the Arab Liberation Front crossed into Israel and seized children and adults in the nursery of Kibbutz Misgav Am; three Israelis were killed before Israeli special forces retook the building the next day, killing all five militants.
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Suggest coverage for Misgav Am hostage crisisThe case file
During the night of Monday, April 7, 1980, a squad of five Palestinian militants belonging to the Iraqi-backed Arab Liberation Front, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades, cut the border fence between Israel and Lebanon at around 1:00 am and crossed into Israel. The squad infiltrated the kibbutz of Misgav Am in northern Israel and reached the children's sleeping quarters, where children aged 1½ to 3 were sleeping, supervised by some of their parents.
At the entrance to the dormitory, the militants encountered kibbutz secretary Sammy (Samuel) Shani, who was repairing light fixtures in the building. Armed only with a screwdriver, he attempted to block their entry and was shot dead. The militants then entered the building, killed two-year-old Eyal Gluska, and took two babies from their cribs, including Shani's own two-month-old son. They retreated to the second floor with the two babies, where five more toddlers and an adult, Meir Peretz, were present, and barricaded themselves in. Kibbutz members managed to rescue several women and children from the building during the raid. By about 2:30 am, Israeli military forces had surrounded the building and began negotiations.
Two rescue attempts followed. The first, by the Sayeret Golani unit of the Golani Brigade, failed; during it, 19-year-old combat medic Sgt. Eldad Tsafrir was killed, and his body could not be evacuated from the building's entrance. The militants then used loudspeakers to issue demands, including the release of named prisoners held in Israeli jails, safe passage on a plane out of the country, and involvement of the Romanian ambassador in negotiations.
After lengthy negotiations, at around 10:00 pm on April 8, a team from the Sayeret Matkal special forces unit, commanded by Major General Uzi Dayan, breached the building through several openings and retook it in an operation lasting about two minutes. All five militants were killed and all hostages were rescued. Six Sayeret Matkal soldiers were injured. During the takeover, one militant shot the tied-up and prone Meir Peretz in the legs before detonating a hand grenade on himself.
In total, three Israelis were killed: two-year-old Eyal Gluska, 36-year-old kibbutz member Sammy Shani, and Sgt. Eldad Tsafrir. Four other children, a kibbutz member, and 11 Israeli soldiers were injured in the overall incident.
The Arab Liberation Front, described as a radical guerrilla group within the PLO, claimed responsibility for the attack in an announcement made in Beirut, stating the goal was the release of 50 Palestinians from Israeli prisons.
In response, Israel conducted Operation High Voltage on April 17, 1980, in which Shayetet 13 naval commandos raided and destroyed a guerrilla base at Ras el-Sheikh in southern Lebanon, roughly 40 kilometers north of the Israeli border. An IDF spokesman said the base served as a supply center and staging point for attacks on Israel. Six guerrillas were killed in that operation.
5 dated entries · 1980
Five Arab Liberation Front militants cross the Lebanon-Israel border and infiltrate Kibbutz Misgav Am, seizing children and adults in the nursery; Sammy Shani and Eyal Gluska are killed.
Israeli military forces surround the dormitory building at about 2:30 am and begin negotiations with the militants.
A first rescue attempt by Sayeret Golani fails; combat medic Sgt. Eldad Tsafrir is killed.
A Sayeret Matkal team, commanded by Major General Uzi Dayan, storms the building around 10:00 pm, killing all five militants and rescuing all hostages.
Israel carries out Operation High Voltage, a Shayetet 13 commando raid on a guerrilla base at Ras el-Sheikh in southern Lebanon.
4 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
19-year-old Sayeret Golani combat medic killed during the first, failed rescue attempt.[3]
Two-year-old resident of Misgav Am killed by the militants inside the children's dormitory.[3]
36-year-old kibbutz secretary shot dead while trying to block the militants' entry to the dormitory.[3]
Major General who commanded the Sayeret Matkal team that retook the building on April 8, 1980.[3]
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
Presslaad.btl.gov.ilAccessed Jul 7, 2026
Pressizkor.gov.ilAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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