Israel announced its forces rescued four hostages on Saturday from a Gaza refugee camp in an operation which the Hamas-run government media office said left 210 Palestinians dead and hundreds wounded, reports AFP.

The Israeli military said the four, who were in “good medical condition,” had been kidnapped from the Nova music festival during Hamas’s October 7 attack that sparked war, now in its ninth month.

The same day, aid began trickling back into the devastated Gaza Strip via a rebuilt, temporary pier, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The pier, built by the US military to boost the delivery of direly needed relief supplies, was only briefly operational before it suffered storm damage at the end of May. After repairs, it was re-established on Friday.

CENTCOM said crews delivered about 492 tonnes of “much needed humanitarian assistance” via the pier on Saturday morning, and stressed that the facility was in no way connected to Israel’s hostage rescue operation.

The Israeli military said Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were pulled out in a “complex” mission.

It released footage and images of them being extracted by helicopter and then reuniting with loved ones in emotional scenes at a Tel Aviv hospital.

In Nuseirat, where the hostages were being held, Palestinians described coming under intense bombardment and heavy gunfire.

The hostages are among seven that Israeli forces have freed alive since Palestinian militants seized 251 people in their October attack on southern Israel.
There are now 116 hostages remaining in Gaza, including 41 the army says are dead.

News of the freed captives was met with celebrations and cheers in Israel, while anxieties over the fate of the remaining hostages prompted thousands to gather in Tel Aviv demanding an end to the eight-month-old war.

“They won’t be able to release all of them in a military operation,” said Michael Levy, whose brother Or is still being held.

Near Nuseirat on Saturday, an AFP photographer saw scores of Palestinians running for cover in fear of further Israeli strikes.

After the operation, piles of smoldering rubble and chunks of concrete clogged the streets.

The Hamas media office said “the number of victims from the Israeli occupation’s massacre in the Nuseirat camp has risen to 210 martyrs and more than 400 wounded.”

Israeli police said an officer was mortally wounded during the rescue operation.
Nuseirat resident Khalil Al-Tahrawi described hearing gunbattles and shelling from his shelter.

“The Israeli warplanes began bombing us in all directions to cover up the withdrawal process,” he said.