OfMarta Serafini
The officer leading the operation was killed. Abu Mazen: massacre of civilians. Hamas: «210 Palestinians and also Israeli hostages killed»
FROM OUR REPORTER
TEL AVIV “They’re free”. A scream of joy pierces the heat in the port of Jaffa. The news that four hostages, one woman and three men, were torn from the hands of Hamas bounces in seconds. Israeli television stations immediately interrupted pre-recorded Shabbat programming.
An operation prepared for weeksconducted in broad daylight to exploit the surprise effect, which ended with the return home of Noa Argamani, 26 years old, Andrey Kozlov, 27 years old, Almog Meir Jan, 22 years old, Shlomi Ziv, 41 years old. But also with the death of the Israeli police officer Arnon Zamora, 38 years old and with a very heavy raid on Nuseirat: the death toll from Hamas is at least 210 and hundreds injured.
Separate houses
It’s 10am in Italy when the green light is given. The IDF, the Shin Bet and the Israeli police go into action. The soldiers of the Yaman, the anti-terrorism forces, they probably infiltrate hidden on board civilian vehicles. The teams operate simultaneously in two points of the Nuseirat camp. To assist them, both at a logistical and intelligence level — according to the CNN — a US team.
Part – the IDF also confirms – a firefight, in which Arnon Zamora was injured and later died and in whose memory the operation will be named. Second Daniel HagariIDF spokesperson, Hamas makes it impossible for Israeli forces to reach the four prisoners without entering civilian areas.
The hostages are locked in apartments in multi-storey buildings. The three men are in two separate houses, while Noa Argamani is in another building about 200 meters away. Then the most critical moment: one of the vehicles with the three men on board stops. To protect the vehicle, already targeted by Hamas militiamen, the IDF opened fire with the support of the 98th division. This is probably where the greatest number of Palestinian deaths, including civilians, are recorded. Then, the 4 hostages are loaded onto a helicopter which will take them to Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, they leave at a market in Nuseirat and at the al-Awda mosque raids so strong that they overwhelmed the al-Aqsa and Nasser hospitals as confirmed in a statement by Doctors Without Borders which reports 50 seriously injured in one hour in the second alone.
Heroism or massacre?
«A heroic operation» for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while the War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz cancels speech to announce the decision to withdraw support for the national unity government. The raid is instead a “bloody massacre”for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calling for an emergency session of the UN Security Council.
The Qassam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, finally, they accuse Israel of killing other hostages during the blitz and threaten: «the operation will represent a great danger for those who are still prisoners and will have a devastating impact on their conditions and their lives».
June 8, 2024 (changed June 8, 2024 | 11:20 pm)
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