2024 Nuseirat rescue operation

2024 Nuseirat rescue operation
Part of the Israel–Hamas war
Location	Nuseirat refugee camp
Objective	Rescue Israeli hostages held by Hamas
Date	8 June 2024
Executed by	Yamam, Shin Bet, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Air Force
Outcome	Four Israeli hostages rescued
Casualties	One Yamam officer killed At least 226 Palestinians killed and over 400+ injured (per Hamas government media office) Less than 100 Palestinian casualties (per IDF)

The Nuseirat rescue operation (initially codenamed Operation Seeds of Summer and renamed Operation Arnon) was carried out by Yamam, the Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces with support from the United States in the Nuseirat refugee camp on 8 June 2024 and rescued four Israelis—Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov—who had been kidnapped from the Re'im music festival massacre, during Hamas' 7 October attacks.

The operation occurred in two main locations in Nuseirat where the hostages were held: a school and a marketplace. The hostages were freed uninjured. Yamam officer Arnon Zemora was seriously injured during the operation and later died from his injuries.

The death toll is disputed, with Gaza's government media office claiming that the operation resulted in the deaths of at least 210 Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp, including women and children, and dozens of injuries, and the death of other hostages, while the IDF claims less than 100 Palestinians were killed. Following the operation, Hamas threatened the remaining hostages.

Background

The Nuseirat refugee camp is a long standing UNRWA refugee camp located in the middle of the Gaza Strip, in Deir al-Balah. The camp has been repeatedly bombed during the Israel-Hamas war, with over a hundred Palestinians killed in the attacks. The most recent attack on the camp occurred only days before the rescue operation, with IDF forces striking the UNRWA school in the camp, killing at least 33 people.

This operation was the third known hostage rescue carried out by the IDF since the start of the war. IDF Corporal Ori Megidish was rescued in October 2023 from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and two male hostages were rescued in February 2024 from southern Rafa. Additionally a number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners have been exchanged throughout the war in November 2024.

Hostages

Main article: Israel–Hamas war hostage crisis

All four hostages recovered had been kidnapped from the Re'im music festival, and were identified as Noa Argamani (26-years-old), Almog Meir Jan (22-years-old), Andrey Kozlov (27-years-old), and Shlomi Ziv (41-years-old). Both Argamani and Meir Jan were festival goers while Kozlov, a recent immigrant from Russia, and Ziv had been employed as security guards for the festival.

Kidnapped posters in January 2024

Argamani was shown in one of the initial videos released by Hamas documenting the massacre. She was seen being taken away on a motorcycle while yelling, "Don't kill me!" Her arms are outstretched towards her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was also being kidnapped. This footage became emblematic of the hostage crisis, leading to Argamani being described as "the face of the Nova music festival hostages." Argamani's family had indications that she was alive, as she appeared in a Hamas video released in January 2024.

Rescue

The IDF said that they worked with Shin Bet and Israeli police to free the four Israeli hostages. It was also later reported that the operation was aided by intelligence support from the United States. The operation was planned for several weeks, and was carried out after an intelligence opportunity arose. During the operation, the Southern Command and the Air Force said they exchanged fire with Hamas militants. An IDF spokesman said its forces were fired upon inside buildings and during their withdrawal from Gaza."

A witness in the camp reported a "crazy bombardment" occurred suddenly, while another stated that the strike happened when people were sleeping. Witnesses reported that entire residential blocks were wiped out. Per a resident and paramedic in the camp, the assault felt like a "horror movie" and that Israeli drones and warplanes fired randomly throughout the night at peoples homes and those who tried to flee the area. Videos were posted to social media, reportedly showing corpses with entrails spilling out lying on blood-stained streets after the attack, although Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage.

The abductees were rescued in the morning from two different buildings in the center of Nusseirat. During captivity they were held in a civilian environment, with the IDF claiming this was an intentional method by their captors. An IDF spokesperson said the that hostages were guarded by armed militants and were being hidden among Gazan civilians.

The abductees were not injured, and were transferred to Sheba Medical Center.

Casualties

Hamas media office stated that the number of victims "has risen to 210 martyrs and more than 400 wounded." Tanya Haj-Hassan, a paediatric intensive care doctor with Doctors Without Borders, stated that Al-Aqsa hospital, where many of the affected victims were transported, was a "complete bloodbath." The Gaza Health Ministry did not say how many of the casualties were combatants.

According to the IDF, Hamas pays Palestinian families to hold the hostages in their houses, which may account for the high casualties. In addition, a large firefight occurred as IDF special forces were attempting to disengage with the hostages, reportedly coming under fire from dozens of militants with RPGs and machine guns when their vehicle became stuck necessitating defensive airstrikes which may have killed civilians.

The operation also resulted in the death of Chief Inspector Arnon Zamora, an Israeli officer in the elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit. The operation's codename was subsequently changed to "Operation Arnon" in his honor.

According to Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida, the operation resulted in the deaths of several other Israeli hostages, which IDF spokesman Peter Lerner dismissed.

Aftermath

Argamani was reunited with her father and transported to Sheba hospital to be reunited with her mother, where she was being treated for cancer. During a phone call with Argamani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "we didn't give up on you for a moment."

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz postponed a scheduled news conference this evening, which coincided with his deadline to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not present a new plan for the war.

Allegations of the United States military constructed floating pier in Gaza being used in the IDF operation, was seen after a video showing an IDF helicopter taking off from the beach with the pier in the background began to circulate online on 8 June. Two United States officials responded to the claims, stating that the pier was only used for humanitarian aid and the helicopter was used to return the hostages into Israel and had landed south of the pier but not within the cordoned off area.

Reactions

Domestic

• Hamas issued a press release on 8 June calling the actions of the IDF and Israeli military a "horrible massacre against innocent civilians." Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that "resistance" will continue, adding, "If the occupation believes that it can impose its choices on us by force, then it is delusional." The group's military wing spokesperson, Abu Obaida, threatened the remaining hostages, stating that, "The operation will pose a great danger to the enemy prisoners and will have a negative impact on their conditions and lives."

• Palestine: Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described the rescue operation as a "massacre."

International

• Argentina: Argentine President Javier Milei celebrated the release of the four hostages on Twitter, posting "Long live freedom, damn it!"
• Austria: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed being "very much relieved," but emphasized, "far too many are still being brutally held hostage by Hamas. All of them need to be released immediately." He also pledged to continue "all efforts" to secure the release of hostage Tal Shoham, who holds Austrian citizenship.
• France: President Emmanuel Macron Macron praised the hostage rescue and called for a lasting political solution to the war in Gaza.
• Germany: Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that the rescue of the hostages was a "important sign of hope", adding that "four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end".
• Kuwait: the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it a "heinous crime".
• Poland: Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote: "Bravo, IDF. May all hostages return home and may there be a just peace between Israel and Palestine".
• United Kingdom: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote that "It is a huge relief to see hostages returned after their unimaginable ordeal and heartwarming to see the pictures of them reunited with their families. We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all."
• United States: United States President Joe Biden lauded the rescue of the hostages, and pledges to "not stop working" until all the hostages are freed.

Organizations

• United Nations: UN Secretary General António Guterres stated that he had sent messages to the families of rescued hostages Noa Argamani and Shalomi Ziv, to express his "relief that they and two other hostages are now free." Guterres added, "I renew my appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for an end to this war."
• European Union: A top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell condemned the level of casualties in the Nuseirat refugee camp as a result of the rescue, calling it "...another massacre of civilians". He also called for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages.

See also

• Rescue of Ori Megidish
• Operation Golden Hand
• Operation Entebbe
• Nuseirat refugee camp massacre
• Proportionality (law)