JERUSALEM. The Israeli military announced on Saturday the successful rescue of four hostages in a raid in the central Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, Palestinian officials reported that an Israeli attack in the same area resulted in more than 50 fatalities.
The operations, though not confirmed as related, both took place in al-Nuseirat, a frequently contested region in the ongoing eight-month conflict between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Hamas.
The rescued hostages have been identified by the Israeli military as Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40. They were promptly taken to a hospital for medical evaluations and were reported to be in good health. These individuals were abducted during Hamas’s deadly raid on the Nova music festival near Gaza on October 7, an attack that triggered the devastating war in the Hamas-controlled enclave.
In the October 7 raid, Hamas killed approximately 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities. The subsequent Israeli bombardment and invasion of Gaza have resulted in at least 36,801 Palestinian deaths, as per the latest figures from Gaza’s health ministry on Saturday.
Initially, around 250 hostages were taken to Gaza on October 7. As of now, 116 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates, which include at least 40 individuals whom Israeli authorities have declared deceased.
Israeli News 12 broadcast footage showing Argamani reuniting with her father, smiling and embracing him. Video of Argamani’s kidnapping had widely circulated soon after she was dragged into Gaza by gunmen on October 7.
Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli military stated it was targeting militant infrastructure in al-Nuseirat. This announcement was unusual as the military typically does not report on ongoing operations.
Al-Nuseirat, a historic Palestinian refugee camp, has experienced intense Israeli bombing throughout the conflict, along with fierce ground fighting in its eastern areas. The Gaza health ministry reported that the Israeli assaults in al-Nuseirat had resulted in numerous casualties, including women and children, although it did not specify how many of the fatalities were combatants.
A health ministry official estimated the death toll at over 50, stating that emergency response teams were struggling to transport the dead and wounded to a hospital in the nearby city of Deir al-Balah. Many bodies remained in the streets, particularly around a market district. Local residents reported heavy Israeli drone and air strikes in al-Nuseirat, causing the deaths of women and children among others.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari explained that the rescue operation was conducted under fire in a residential neighborhood where Hamas had allegedly been holding captives among civilians under armed guard. In a televised news conference, Hagari mentioned that one Israeli soldier was severely injured and that Israeli forces responded with fire, including airstrikes.
The Gaza war continues to escalate despite calls from Israel’s chief ally, the United States, for a ceasefire and a deal to release the remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The conflict has further destabilized the wider Middle East, involving Hamas’s main backer Iran and its heavily armed Lebanese ally Hezbollah, with whom Israeli officials have threatened potential conflict on Israel’s northern border.
