Palestine (Washington Insider Magazine)—The Israeli military announced the rescue of four captives in Gaza as it intensified its assault across the territory. The operation took place in Nuseirat on Saturday, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 210 casualties due to Israeli air raids on central Gaza. Local residents confirmed that children were among those killed in the heavy strikes.
The rescued captives were Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40). They were abducted by Hamas during an attack on a music festival in southern Israel on October 7. Following the complex daytime operation, the captives were reported to be in good medical condition and were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Israeli police also reported that Commander Arnon Zamora was killed during the mission.
In a statement, Hamas’s Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida said that other captives had been killed during the Israeli rescue operation. This raid was Israel’s largest recovery of live captives since October 7, bringing the total number of rescued captives to seven. Israeli military sources estimate that 120 captives remain in Gaza, with 41 believed to have been killed.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described the mission as one of the most complex urban operations ever conducted in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the operation, calling it a historic event, and vowed to continue efforts to secure the release of all hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu’s office released footage of his meeting with the rescued captives at the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
However, Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reported that Israeli officials did not mention the Palestinian casualties caused by the operation. Khan noted that Israel has been focusing on portraying the mission as a success, while avoiding discussions about the cost in human lives. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which advocates for the release of captives, has urged the Israeli government to consider a ceasefire as the best approach for retrieving the remaining hostages.
In Gaza, the Ministry of Health released images of injured civilians, including children, in the aftermath of the attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp. The government described the assault as “brutal” and accused Israel of targeting civilians.
The ongoing war has resulted in at least 36,801 Palestinian deaths, with 83,680 others wounded. Hamas’s attack on October 7 resulted in the deaths of around 1,140 people in Israel, with approximately 240 individuals taken captive.
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz postponed a planned statement on Saturday due to the rescue mission. Gantz, widely considered an alternative to Netanyahu as prime minister, had joined Netanyahu’s government after Hamas’s attack. He had been expected to announce his resignation, frustrated by the government’s lack of a clear strategy for Gaza, but the rescue operation delayed his speech.
The rescue was hailed as a heroic act by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which continues to call on the government to bring back all remaining captives. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the operation and renewed calls for a ceasefire to allow for the release of all hostages.