Hostage crisis ends in bloodshed: 274 Palestinians killed in Israeli operation
An Israeli raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp held by Hamas resulted in the rescue of four hostages and the deaths of at least 274 Palestinians in the process — with nearly 700 more left wounded — Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday.
Visuals of the Gaza Central camp — after the complex daytime operation deep inside the territory — showed roads covered in wreckage and wounded Palestinians, some without limbs, the Washington Post reported.
According to ABC News, Israel's massive offensive has killed over 36,700 Palestinians, citing information from the Health Ministry, "which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count." Some 64 children and 57 women were killed in the latest raid, with 153 children and 161 women among the wounded.
The four hostages rescued after Israeli forces raided two locations, include Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41. Rear Adm, Daniel Hagari, Israel’s military spokesperson told reporters Saturday that the hostages were held in two apartments 200 meters apart — the forces were repeatedly trained on a model of the apartment buildings.
Argamani was one of the more publicly recognized hostages, after being taken from a music festival like the other three. A video of her abduction shows her screaming “Don’t kill me!” as two men on a motorcycle drive away with her seated between them.
Due to the sheer amount of casualties, Israel has received considerable backlash. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz, addressed this in a post to X, saying, "Only Israel’s enemies complained about the casualties of Hamas terrorists and their accomplices.”
