EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell has criticized the “massacre” of Palestinian civilians following an Israeli hostage rescue operation on Saturday that freed Noa Argamani and left dozens of Gazans dead.
In a post on ongoing conflict so far.
‘Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling. “We condemn this in the strongest terms,” she commented, adding that “this bloodbath must end immediately.”
This comes after Israel carried out a daring raid on two Hamas buildings in Gaza on Saturday to rescue four hostages taken by terrorists on October 7, in which they were able to extract them by helicopter while being shot by militants.
‘Operation Summer Seeds’ is Israel’s largest rescue mission since the Hamas war began.
Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, were rescued after the daring operation, the largest of its kind since the war with Hamas began.
The hostages had been held captive for 245 days after being kidnapped at the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war.
They were later reunited with their loved ones in emotional scenes at a Tel Aviv hospital.
Borrell had previously opted for x to celebrate the release of the four captives, saying: ‘Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv are free and safe today. We share the relief of their families and call for the release of all remaining hostages.’
But serious questions have been raised about the human cost of the rescue mission.
Borrell called on US President Joe Biden’s ceasefire and hostage release plan, commenting that it was “the way forward for a lasting ceasefire and an end to the killings.”
While it is unclear how many of those killed after Israel’s operations were civilians, horrifying images of the aftermath of a shootout during the attack in the Nuseirat area show dozens of dead and wounded women and children in the streets.
The terrorist group claims that the fatalities include three other hostages, one of whom has American citizenship, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) dismissed as a “blatant lie.”
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said military intelligence determined some time ago that the hostages were being held in two apartments, about 200 meters apart, in the heart of the Nuseirat camp.
Israeli hostage Noa Argamani hugged by her father after being rescued by an Israeli special operation
Mrs Argamani meets with Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. The 26-year-old was reunited with her ecstatic family on Saturday after 245 days in captivity.
He was able to celebrate his father Yakov’s birthday after spending more than seven months in Hamas captivity.
The terrified hostage became the face of the Oct. 7 massacre after video emerged of her screaming “Don’t kill me” as she was kidnapped at a music festival by Hamas terrorists on motorcycles.
Noa Argamani (wearing a pink top, jeans and helmet) is seen being helped onto an IDF helicopter to escape Hamas after being rescued on Saturday.
Hagari estimated that the number of victims of the operation was less than 100.
Hamas took about 250 hostages during the Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 people. About half were freed after a week-long ceasefire in November.
About 120 hostages remain and 43 of them have died. Survivors include about 15 women, two children under the age of five and two men in their 80s.
The Israelis celebrated the latest hostage return on Saturday night.
Among those rescued is Noa Argamani, who had become the face of the October 7 massacre after a video emerged of her screaming “don’t kill me” as she was kidnapped at a music festival by Hamas terrorists on motorcycles. .
In January, Hamas released a chilling video of Noa in captivity and apparently under duress, calling on Netanyahu to “please stop the war” and “bring us home.”
Almong Meir Jan, 22, is seen crying while being welcomed by his close relatives at the Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Center, after his rescue from the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army on Saturday.
Shlomi Ziv, 41, who was captured while serving as a security guard at the festival, was seen hugging and kissing loved ones and having a tearful reunion at the hospital on Saturday. His sister Revital Nasi and his cousin Liat met him at the hospital.
Andrey Kozlov, a freed hostage, reacts after the military said Israeli forces rescued four hostages alive from the central Gaza Strip on Saturday.
Emotional scenes showed Noa, 26, reunited with her father on her birthday, the first time they had seen each other in more than half a year since their capture at the Supernova Music Festival.
After his release, Noa was photographed enjoying a Coca Cola with his father and receiving phone calls from President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu.
“I’m very happy to be here,” he said in his call with Herzog in a video distributed by his office.
“Thank you for everything, thank you for this moment,” she said, sitting with her father in a hospital room.
In another video, speaking by phone with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Noa said: “I am very moved.” I haven’t heard Hebrew in a long time.
He also met with his mother, Liora Argamani, who has stage four cancer.
She was kidnapped along with her boyfriend Avinatan Or from the Supernova festival on the morning of October 7. Her boyfriend is believed to still be in captivity.