274 People Were Killed By Israel During Rescue Operation, Says Hamas

The health ministry in Gaza, run by Hamas, has said that 274 people were killed by Israel during a rescue operation for four Israeli nationals held hostage by the group.

On Saturday, June 8, 2024, Israeli ground forces, backed by airstrikes, engaged Hamas in a fierce gunfight in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where the Israelis were held captive.

The captives, identified as Almog Meir Jan, 22, Shlomi Ziv, 41, Noa Argamani, 26, and Andrei Kozlov, 27, were abducted by Hamas during the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.

Israeli military estimated that casualties during its operation were fewer than 100 people, but Hamas’ report, if confirmed, would mean it was one of the deadliest days of the conflict.

Related: Three British Citizens Were Killed By An Israeli Strike In Gaza

Residents of the area have lamented the terror of witnessing intense bombardments and gunfire.

Abdel Salam Darwish, a resident of the area, told the BBC that he was buying vegetables in a market when he heard the sound of fighter jets and gunfire.

“Afterwards, people’s bodies were in pieces, scattered in the streets, and blood stained the walls,” Abdel said.

In Israel, the return of the hostages was celebrated, and world leaders like President Joe Biden of the United States have welcomed the news, but the cost of the operation has drawn criticism from certain quarters.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, condemned the operation “in the strongest terms” and described it as “another massacre of civilians.”

Borrell and the EU were criticized by an Israeli minister who said Hamas should be condemned for hiding behind civilians instead of Israel, which fought to save its citizens.

The al-Aqsa hospital and al-Awda hospital said they have counted 70 dead bodies, while the health ministry run by Hamas has released the names of 86 people out of the 274 people it said were killed by Israel during the operation that lasted for two hours.