Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not give in to terror after Israeli troops rescued four hostages Saturday who had been held by Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip after they were abducted during the October 7 Hamas terror attack on southern Israel.
“Israel does not surrender to terrorism,” Netanyahu said. “We will not let go until we complete the mission and return all our hostages home — both the living and the dead,” he said while speaking after the rescue operation in the situation room.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the rescue operation Saturday was challenging. “Our troops showed so much courage — operating under heavy fire in the most complex urban environment in Gaza,” he said in a statement.
Israeli forces rescued four hostages from central Gaza on Saturday. They had been held since the Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. More than 200 Palestinians died during the accompany
ing air assault, according to Hamas officials, one of the bloodiest Israeli assaults of the war.
The rescue operation took place in a densely built residential neighbourhood of al-Nuseirat, an Israeli military spokesperson said.
“We know about under 100 (Palestinian) casualties. I don’t know how many of them are terrorists,” Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing with journalists. One Israeli special forces commander was also killed, he said.
“Israel does not surrender to terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We will not let go until we complete the mission and return all our hostages home — both the living and the dead,” he said, speaking after the rescue operation in the situation room.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the rescue was challenging. Israeli troops operated “under heavy fire in the most complex urban environment in Gaza,” he said in a statement, calling it “one of the most heroic and extraordinary operations” he has witnessed during his 47 years of service in Israel’s defense establishment.
Medical officials in Nuseirat called it one of the bloodiest since the war began, Reuters reported.
