At least 274 Palestinians, including dozens of children, were reportedly killed in the blitz conducted by the Israel Defense Forces on Saturday (8 June) to rescue four hostages held by Hamas in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by the Palestinian extremist movement Hamas.
The Israeli army said its forces came under heavy fire during the complex daytime operation in central Gaza where hostages Noa Argamani, Andrey Kozlov, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv were rescued.
The operation at Nuseirat, a refugee camp built dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, was the largest rescue since Oct. 7, when Hamas and other Palestinian militants stormed across the border, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking approximately 250 hostages.
Dozens of hostages are believed to be held in densely populated areas or inside Hamas’ maze of tunnels, making rescues extremely complex and risky. In February a raid freed two hostages and killed 74 Palestinians.
The Israeli army said it had attacked “threats to our forces in the area” and that a special forces officer was killed during the operation.
According to what the US news agency reports AP, Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Saturday that the hostages were being held in two apartments about 200 meters away from each other. Hagari reported that the military conducted a raid on both apartments at the same time. During the operation, Israeli forces had to counter fire from Hamas militants who also fired rocket-propelled grenades.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at critics of the operation in a post on X, saying that “only Israel’s enemies complained about the victims of Hamas terrorists and their accomplices.”
For the USA, the best way to free the hostages remains a ceasefire
The Israeli blitz was received lukewarmly by the United States. In an interview with CNN, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan stressed that “innocent people were killed during the operation.”
Sullivan admitted that the United States does not know the exact number of victims, calling the loss of innocent lives “heartbreaking” and “tragic”.
The White House national security advisor underlined that the ceasefire remains the best way for the administration to free the hostages. “Biden believes that the best way to bring all the hostages home is the agreement that we have made diplomatically, and in which there is no need for military operations,” Sullivan said.
According to the national security advisor, without an agreement, which requires the yes of Hamas, “we will see the conflict and military operations continue in which Israel will try to save its citizens.”
For Netanyahu, Israel will not “bow its head”
On Sunday (June 9) with representatives of the Valor Forum, Netanyahu said while commenting on the June 8 operation, according to reports Ynet: “We are obliged to bring the hostages home in various ways, but first of all, we are obliged to secure our future – which will not exist here if we simply bow our heads.”
Netanyahu noted that support for Hamas’ demands to end the war “without achieving our goals” is also emerging from Israel’s allies. “But I’m not ready and I don’t think public opinion is either,” said the Israeli prime minister. “We are committed to the overall victory. We do not want and cannot abandon the Gaza front, not only because of our wonderful boys who fell, but because it is the future of the country,” Netanyahu said.
The Pope’s new appeal
At the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope launched a new appeal to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. “The day after tomorrow, an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Gaza will be held in Jordan, convened by the King of Jordan, the President of Egypt and the Secretary General of the United Nations,” Pope Francis said.
“While I thank them for this important initiative, I encourage the international community to act urgently by all means to help the war-weary population of Gaza. Humanitarian aid must be able to reach those who need it and no one can prevent it”, stated the Pontiff.
Israel’s massive offensive has killed more than 36,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which makes no distinction between civilians and fighters in its tally. 64 children and 57 women were said to have been killed in the latest raid, and 153 children and 161 women were among the nearly 700 injured.
In Gaza, doctors described scenes of chaos after the Israeli raid to recover the four hostages. Overwhelmed hospitals were already struggling to treat the wounded after days of heavy Israeli attacks in the area.
About 120 hostages remain, including 43 reported dead, after about half were released during a week-long ceasefire in November. According to the government, Israeli troops recovered the bodies of at least 16 people. Among the survivors there are approximately 15 women, two children under the age of 5 and two men over eighty.
