The Israeli military rescued four hostages held in central Gaza on Saturday in a major daytime operation.
The strip’s government media office said at least 236 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 injured as Israel carried out the raid.
Here’s what we know.
A rare rescue: Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were freed from captivity by the Israeli military, intelligence and special forces in two separate locations in the Nuseirat refugee camp, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday. All four were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. This is only the third such successful operation since the war began.
Over 200 Palestinians dead:
- At least 236 people were been killed and more than 400 injured as a result of the Israeli operation, the enclave’s government media office said. CNN is not able to independently verify the media office numbers, and there is no clarity on the breakdown of civilian and militant casualties.
- Earlier Saturday, a CNN producer at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah said dozens of injured people were arriving at the medical center. A hospital spokesperson had said the number of injured was so high that it was difficult to confirm the exact toll.
- Gazans on the ground said the scene in Nuseirat was “hell on earth,” with “children torn apart and scattered in the streets.”
- Hamas accused Israel of committing a “horrific massacre,” saying the rescue operation would not change Israel’s “strategic failure in the Gaza Strip.” A spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing also claimed, without offering proof, that Israel killed other hostages in the operation.
How the operation happened: Israeli forces prepared for weeks for Saturday’s special military raid. IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the hostages had been locked in rooms of apartments in multistory civilian buildings. The IDF opted for a daytime operation for the element of surprise, and similar raids had been called off at the last minute several times, he said. Hagari estimated the number of casualties from the operation to be “under 100.” The raid also resulted in the death of an Israeli police officer who served in a special counterterrorism unit, according to Israeli police.
Families reunited, but still call for action: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with rescued hostages and their families at Sheba Hospital in the city of Ramat Gan. Argamani was transferred to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv so she can be treated there alongside her mother, who has late-stage brain cancer. Family members expressed joy at being reunited with their loved ones but also called for the Israeli government to bring back all the hostages still held in Gaza.
US response: An American cell in Israel supported the rescue efforts, working with Israeli forces on the operation, a US official told CNN — referencing a team that’s been in place supporting Israel since October 7 with information gathering about the hostages. US President Joe Biden said Saturday he welcomed news of the rescue, and the White House said it is “supporting all efforts” to get the remaining hostages released.
