Israel announced on Saturday that it had successfully rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in a Hamas-led attack on October 7th.
The operation, which took place in Nuseirat, involved the rescue of 25-year-old Noa Argamani, 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan, 27-year-old Andrey Kozlov, and 40-year-old Shlomi Ziv.
The hostages were found in two separate locations within Nuseirat.
This rescue comes amidst increasing international pressure on Israel to minimize civilian casualties in the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has been ongoing for eight months now. In an effort to facilitate cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to return to the Middle East next week.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel’s offensive has resulted in the deaths of at least 36,000 Palestinians, without distinguishing between fighters and civilians.
Hamas had initially kidnapped around 250 hostages during their attack in southern Israel on October 7th, with about half being released during a weeklong cease-fire in November.
Israel estimates that over 130 hostages are still being held, with approximately 25% presumed dead, leading to growing divisions within the country on the appropriate course of action to secure their release.
Saturday’s operation marked the largest successful rescue of living hostages since the beginning of the conflict, bringing the total number of rescued captives to seven.
Prior to this, two men were rescued in February during a raid on a heavily guarded apartment, and a woman was rescued shortly after the October attack. Additionally, Israeli troops have recovered 16 hostage bodies from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under increasing pressure to end the conflict in Gaza, with some urging him to accept a deal proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden, while his far-right allies threaten to dissolve the government if he does.
One of the hostages rescued on Saturday, Noa Argamani, gained widespread recognition after being abducted from a music festival.
