Hamas reports over 200 people killed, while Israel rescues four hostages from Gaza. M Haris

On Saturday, Israel announced its forces had rescued four hostages from a Gaza refugee camp. The operation, according to the Hamas-run government media office, resulted in the deaths of 210 Palestinians and hundreds of injuries.

Meanwhile, aid began to trickle back into the devastated Gaza Strip through a rebuilt temporary pier, as reported by the US Central Command (CENTCOM). This pier, constructed by the US military to facilitate the delivery of much-needed relief supplies, had been briefly operational before suffering storm damage at the end of May and was re-established on Friday. CENTCOM reported that approximately 492 tonnes (1.1 million pounds) of humanitarian assistance were delivered via the pier on Saturday morning, emphasizing that the facility was not connected to Israel’s hostage rescue operation.

The Israeli military identified the rescued hostages as Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, noting that the mission was “complex.”

Israel released footage and images showing the hostages being extracted by helicopter and reuniting with their loved ones at a Tel Aviv hospital.

In Nuseirat, where the hostages were held, Palestinians reported intense bombardment and heavy gunfire.

The hostages are among seven that Israeli forces have rescued alive. There are still 116 hostages in Gaza, including 41 who the army says are dead. The news of the freed captives was met with celebrations and cheers in Israel, while concerns about 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 from further Israeli strikes. After the operation, piles of smoldering rubble and chunks of concrete clogged the streets.

The Hamas media office reported that “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 gun battles and shelling from his shelter. “The Israeli warplanes began bombing us in all directions to cover up the withdrawal process,” he said.

The operation followed an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat school run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which a Gaza hospital said had killed 37 people. The military said the strike targeted “terrorists.” UNRWA condemned Israel for striking a facility housing 6,000 displaced people.

Israel accuses Hamas and its allies in Gaza of using civilian infrastructure, including UN-run facilities, as operational centers, charges that they deny.

The war has caused widespread devastation in Gaza, with one in 20 people dead or wounded, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. Most of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants are displaced.

Aid groups and the United Nations have accused Israel of blocking or delaying the entry of food, water, medicines, and fuel into Gaza, depriving people of lifesaving supplies. Israel has blamed the shortages on aid agencies’ inability to distribute supplies.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said on Saturday that 135 UNRWA workers have died in the war, the highest number of UN personnel killed in a single conflict. “This horror must stop,” he said.

US President Joe Biden reiterated his call for a ceasefire while welcoming the news of Israel’s freed hostages. “We won’t stop working until all the hostages are home and a ceasefire is reached. That’s essential to happen,” he said, speaking in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, who said: “We rejoice at the release of the four Israeli hostages.”

Israel faces growing diplomatic isolation, with international court cases accusing it of war crimes and several European countries recognizing a Palestinian state. Thousands of people marched through London on Saturday calling for a ceasefire, while demonstrators outside the White House protested against Washington’s support for Israel amid Gaza’s deadliest-ever war.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 36,801 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Efforts to mediate the first ceasefire in the conflict since a week-long pause in November appear to have stalled after Biden offered the latest plan for a multi-phase truce and hostage release. Major sticking points include Hamas insisting on a permanent truce and full Israeli withdrawal from all parts of Gaza—demands Israel has rejected.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also faces pressure from within his government to end the war, with war cabinet minister Benny Gantz threatening to quit. Gantz canceled a news conference scheduled for Saturday, where Israeli media speculated he would announce his resignation.

In brief remarks on Israeli television, Gantz on Saturday evening urged his colleagues in government to “look responsibly” into “how we can continue from here.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday called on Hamas to accept the latest truce proposal outlined by Biden at the start of the month.

Blinken is set to visit Israel and key regional partners Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar starting Monday.