Gaza health ministry says 274 people died in Israeli hostage rescue operation

The health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza said an Israeli attack on the refugee camp killed 274 people, including children and other civilians, and that four hostages were rescued.

exist Saturday Israeli forces, backed by airstrikes, fought fierce gun battles with Hamas in and around the Nuserat refugee camp and released the captives.

26-year-old Noah Argamani, 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, and 27-year-old Andre Cozy were kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival on October 7 Andrei Kozlov and 41-year-old Shlomi Ziv have returned to Israel.

The Israeli military estimated that fewer than 100 people died in the operation.

But the latest figures from the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, if confirmed, would make it one of the deadliest days of the conflict so far.

People living in densely populated areas described the horror of being subjected to heavy bombing and heavy artillery fire.

A man named Abdel Salam Darwish told the BBC that he was buying vegetables at the market when he suddenly heard fighter jets flying overhead and Gunshots.

“Then bodies were scattered on the streets and blood stained the walls,” he said.

The return of the hostages to their families sparked celebrations in Israel, with world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden welcoming news of their release.

But criticism is growing over the deadly cost of the operation in Gaza, with EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell saying he condemned it “in the strongest possible terms”.

“Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are shocking,” he wrote on X.

Instead of condemning Hamas for hiding behind civilians, the EU blames Israel for saving its citizens, an Israeli minister said.

Footage from the Nuserat refugee camp area showed intense bombardment and people mourning the dead.

Gaza’s two hospitals, Al-Aqsa Hospital and Awada Hospital, said they had counted 70 bodies.

The Hamas-run health ministry released the names of 86 of the 274 Palestinians it said were killed in the two-hour operation.

Previously, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari estimated based on “accurate intelligence” that the number of casualties in this “high-risk, complex mission” was less than 100.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said special forces operated “under heavy fire” as they rescued the hostages. A special forces officer was injured and later died in hospital.

Video taken in Gaza after the attack showed scenes of massacre.

Video from Al-Aqsa Hospital showed scores of seriously injured people lying on the ground, with blood-stained floors leaving little room for doctors to move between patients.

Other videos showed cars and ambulances frequently bringing new cases into the building.

The director of Al Auda Hospital in Nuserat told BBC Arabic that the number of deaths brought to the hospital increased throughout Saturday.

Dr. Marwan Abu Nasser also spoke of the lack of morgues in hospitals to accommodate the bodies of the deceased brought to the hospital.

One man, who said more than 40 of his family members have been killed since the conflict began in October, described to the BBC how he was in a house hit by a strike.

“As soon as these children and women entered the house, the explosion occurred, killing everyone inside,” he said.

“The house, which once housed about 30 people and then 50, was bombed… Only me, my father, my wife and a young man survived… We were the only ones out of 50 who survived. By.

The bloodshed there sparked rare criticism of Hamas from Gaza’s people.

Hassan Omar, 37, said he regretted the needless loss of life caused by the Israeli attack, telling the BBC: “Every time an Israeli hostage is taken, they can go without any bloodshed. rescued 80 Palestinian prisoners – [that] A million times better than losing 100 people.

“My message to Hamas is that stopping the damage is also part of the gain and we should get rid of those who control our hotels in Qatar.”

The hostage rescues come as Israel and Hamas work to reach a ceasefire and agreement to release the hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been urged to reach a deal but faces opposition from far-right allies who say military action is the only way to free the hostages.

Saturday’s operation was the Israeli military’s most successful hostage rescue of the war and analysts said it could change the calculus of a prime minister who is under increasing pressure.

In response to Nuserat’s military offensive, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said Israel cannot impose its choices on the group.

He said the group would not agree to a ceasefire unless security for Palestinians was achieved.

On October 7, Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 251 people hostage.

Some 116 people remain in the Palestinian territories, of whom 41 are claimed dead by the military.

A deal reached in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the release of some 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry said the death toll in Gaza now stood at 37,084.