According to Israeli officials, they are in good health and are being examined in Tel Aviv’s Sheba hospital, where they will spend the night.
Gaza’s state-run health ministry reported that it was also one of the deadliest Israeli attacks, with 210 Palestinians—including children—killed and 400 injured.
A representative for Hamas’s armed al Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, said that several hostages perished in the operation near al Nuseirat.
The three individuals who were saved were Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40. Hamas had taken the hostages from the Nova music festival in October.
A “complex mission in daylight” saw Israeli forces remove them “under fire” from two residences in the al Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman Daniel Hagari.
He claimed that the operation took “weeks in the planning” and involved hundreds of men.
At a press conference held at the Sheba hospital, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: “Our soldiers demonstrated unmatched courage and ingenuity during this operation, which called for extreme bravery.”
Bodies and injured persons poured into the already overcrowded Al Aqsa hospital as the operation progressed.
