Israeli military changes narrative with rescue of 4-hostages in Gaza

In a dramatic special operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, the Israeli military successfully rescued four hostages on Saturday. The operation, which Israeli authorities said was meticulously planned and executed, resulted in the deaths of 236 people and injuries to more than 400 others, according to Gazan officials.

The rescued hostages, Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, had been abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that they were found in two separate locations within Nuseirat.

“They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,” the IDF stated.

The operation was not without its own casualties. An Israeli policeman from a special counter-terrorism unit was killed, the Israeli police confirmed. The IDF also reported heavy fire during the operation, especially during the withdrawal phase.

While the IDF claims the operation targeted militant infrastructure, resulting in “under 100” casualties, Gazan hospital officials provided a higher death toll. Dr. Marwan Abu Nasser of Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat reported that 142 bodies were counted at his facility, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah reported 94 bodies.

The casualty figures from Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and militants, making independent verification challenging.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari of the IDF emphasized the complexity and danger of the mission, highlighting that Hamas had embedded itself in civilian areas.

“The hostages had been locked in two separate apartments in civilian multi-story buildings about 200 meters apart,” Hagari said.

He explained that the IDF had received intelligence on the hostages’ locations, which were frequently changed by their captors. Similar rescue attempts had been aborted several times due to unfavorable conditions.

Hagari justified the timing of the operation, which took place during the day to leverage the element of surprise. He mentioned that detailed preparations included building models of the apartments where the hostages were held.

Despite the success, Hagari cautioned that most of the remaining hostages were not in conditions conducive to similar rescue operations.

The conflicting narratives between Israeli and Gazan reports underscore the complexity of the ongoing conflict and the difficulty in obtaining accurate information from the war-torn region. Following the rescue, 116 hostages from the October 7 abduction remain in Gaza, with at least 41 confirmed dead.