Palestinians residing in the densely populated area where Israeli hostages were being held by Hamas recounted the fear they experienced amid heavy bombardment and gunfire during the rescue mission. Israel’s forces, supported by airstrikes, engaged in intense clashes with Hamas around the Nuseirat refugee camp to liberate four captives.
Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, who were abducted from an Israeli music festival eight months ago, have been safely returned to Israel. However, the rescue operation resulted in numerous Palestinian casualties, including women and children, as reported by the Hamas-run health ministry. One eyewitness, Abdel Salam Darwish, described being at a market purchasing vegetables when he heard the roar of fighter jets overhead and the sound of gunfire.
“Afterwards, people’s bodies were in pieces, scattered in the streets, and blood stained the walls,” he said.
The return of the hostages to their families has sparked jubilation in Israel and world leaders including US President Joe Biden have welcomed the news of their release.
But there has been criticism of the deadly cost of the operation inside Gaza, with European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell saying he condemned it “in the strongest terms”.
“Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling,” he wrote on X.
An Israeli official suggested condemning Hamas instead.
Footage from the area of the Nuseirat refugee camp depicts intense bombing and grieving individuals.
Reports from two Gaza hospitals, al-Aqsa hospital and al-Awda hospital, indicated a combined count of 70 casualties. The Hamas-controlled health ministry released the names of 86 individuals it claimed were killed during the two-hour operation, while Hamas’s media office stated the death toll was at least 210.
Israel’s military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, estimated that there were fewer than 100 casualties in what he described as a “high-risk, complex mission” based on “precise intelligence.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that special forces faced “heavy fire” during the hostage rescue operation. One special forces member was injured and later died in hospital.
Videos from Gaza captured scenes of devastation in the aftermath of the raid.
Footage from al-Aqsa hospital showed numerous severely injured individuals lying on the floor, leaving minimal space for doctors to navigate. Other videos depicted a continuous stream of new cases arriving by car and ambulance.
Dr. Marwan Abu Nasser, the director of Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat, reported an increasing number of deceased individuals being brought to the hospital throughout Saturday. He also mentioned the lack of a morgue in the hospital to accommodate the bodies of those killed.
A survivor described being in a house that was struck by a bomb, resulting in the deaths of numerous family members.
Criticism of Hamas emerged from individuals in Gaza, with one expressing regret over the loss of lives in Israeli airstrikes and suggesting a different approach to resolving conflicts.
The hostage rescue operation occurred amidst ceasefire and hostage release negotiations between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced pressure to reach an agreement but encounters opposition from far-right allies advocating for military action to secure the hostages’ release.
Saturday’s operation marked a significant hostage rescue by the Israeli military during the ongoing conflict, potentially impacting the decisions of the prime minister facing mounting pressure.
