Israeli media revealed new details today about an operation carried out to recover living Israeli hostages in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, who had been captured since Hamas launched "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood" on October 7. The channel "i24 news" stated that "the operation conducted today, Saturday, took place in central Gaza amidst heavy fire and included extraordinary moments of anxiety, as the vehicle carrying three of the hostages became stuck due to a technical malfunction in the heart of Nuseirat, while a battle occurred with the participation of the 98th Division, which fired heavy shots during the operation."
According to "i24 news," a large force from the air force, artillery, commando units, and special forces conducting a sea raid took part in the operation. An Israeli soldier was killed during the operation. The report indicated that the operation was approved by high-level political leadership on Thursday evening, as part of a highly secret discussion. It was noted that in recent weeks, it had been decided to intensify intelligence efforts to focus on the locations where the hostages were held, while the 98th Division began raiding the eastern parts of Nuseirat, with special intelligence forces brought in to monitor two sites where hostages were being held.
The Hebrew channel stated that the operation included distractions and deception, and at 11:00 AM, the green light was given to begin. The order for the operation came from the Chief of Staff of the Shin Bet, Ronan Bar, and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Herzi Halevi, with participation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who observed the operation. It was pointed out that in the past week, the Israeli army had tested several models in preparation for the operation and received envelopes and fire cover from the 98th Division and naval and air forces.
