Israel rescues four hostages from Gaza, at least 100 Palestinians killed

WASHINGTON, Palestinian Territories (AFP)— Israel said its forces rescued four hostages alive from a Gaza refugee camp on Saturday in the largest rescue operation since the war began, which left at least 100 Palestinians killed. 

Around 100 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli operation, including children, and their bodies were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, the hospital’s spokesperson Khalil Degran told The Associated Press Saturday. He said that 100 Palestinians wounded in the incident had also been brought in for treatment. Hamas officials said 210 Palestinians were killed in the assault as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency meeting. 

The four Israelis had been kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas from the Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks that sparked the war, the army said.

Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, had been “rescued… from two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat” in a “complex daytime operation,” the military said, adding that they were in “good medical condition”.

The military had said, shortly before announcing the rare hostage rescue, that troops were targeting “terrorist infrastructure” around the Nuseirat camp.

Videos of a helicopter transporting the hostages to medical facilities in Israel were released on social media. 

The operation was authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defense chief Yoav Gallant, Ynet reported. Israeli officials described the operation as “complex” and said the troops came under fire. One Israeli officer from a counter terrorism unit was killed in the operation. 

Hamas said there were “dozens of bodies of martyrs and wounded lying on the ground, in the streets, and in safe rooms” and accused Israeli forces of engaging in “brutal and savage aggression on Nuseirat camp”. Videos circulating on social media showed bodies on the streets and hospitals nearby flooded with the wounded. 

The news prompted centrist war cabinet minister Benny Gantz to delay his announcement to quit the government over differences with Netanyahu on Gaza. Gantz was due to give a statement on Saturday where he was widely expected to resign. Following the rescue operation, his office said the statement has been postponed without specifying another date. 

In a statement on Saturday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan commended Israeli military for the operation.

“We commend the work of the Israeli security services that conducted this daring operation. The United States is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, including American citizens,” Sullivan said. 

Those efforts, he said, include “ongoing negotiations or other means.” 

“The hostage release and cease-fire deal that is now on the table would secure the release of all the remaining hostages together with security assurances for Israel and relief for the innocent civilians in Gaza,” Sullivan added.  

The operation took place as talks continued in Qatar to reach a ceasefire-fire that would potentially end the war, now in its eighth mont. US, Israeli and Egyptian officials all traveled to Doha this week in an attempt to broker a deal. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Qatar and Egypt, acting at US request, have ramped up the pressure on Hamas’s leadership in Doha to agree to a cease-fire proposal presented by US President Joe Biden earlier this month. 

The Arab officials threatened Hamas’ leaders in the Qatari capital with sanctions and arrests as well as potential expulsion from Doha. But the outlet said that Hamas still did not agree to the proposal and is seeking written assurances from the Israeli government that a cease-fire would end the war. Over 120 hostages are still believed to be held captive in Gaza. 

This is a developing story and has been updated since publication.

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