The Israeli army acknowledged on Friday the failure of a hostage rescue operation in the Gaza Strip, in which two soldiers were seriously injured and one hostage died, according to the Palestinian movement Hamas.
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In retaliation for an unprecedented deadly attack by the Islamist movement on Israeli soil on October 7, in which 240 people were kidnapped, the Israeli army is carrying out airstrikes and ground operations in the Gaza Strip to “destroy” Hamas and free the hostages.
“During the night (Thursday to Friday), two Israeli soldiers were seriously injured during an operation to free hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip,” the army said in a statement.
“No hostages were rescued,” she added, claiming that “during the operation, many terrorists who were involved in the kidnapping and detention of the hostages were killed.”
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, announced that they “succeeded in foiling an Israeli attempt to rescue a hostage by detecting members of the Israeli special forces moving into the middle of the attack.” “Sneaked into the Gaza Strip” and “slid into an ambulance.”
In a press release, this source reported “heavy exchanges of fire” in which soldiers were injured, while a hostage was “pronounced dead.”
Hamas then released a video in which we see several traces of blood on the floor of a house and bullet casings, then the remains of a man. The images also show Israeli weapons and equipment that Hamas claims to have seized during the incident.
“Israeli warplanes intensively bombed the entire area to allow the special forces to withdraw,” said the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.
The Israeli government says 138 hostages are still being held in Gaza after 105 people were kidnapped as part of a seven-day ceasefire in late November, including 80 in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
According to the army, a total of 93 Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting in Gaza.
According to the Hamas Health Ministry, Israeli bombings in the Gaza Strip claimed 17,490 lives, more than two-thirds of them women and those under 18.
According to Israeli authorities, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7th.