US cell IN Israel helped rescue 4 hostages, operation included airstrikes that killed 210 Gazans in Nuseirat refugee camp massacre

Rania R.a. Abushamala
Andalou Agency
Sat, 08 Jun 2024 20:13 UTC

27-year-old Andrey Kozlov, one of the four Israeli hostages that are retrieved after a military operation in the area departs from a military vehicle to be taken to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 8, 2024. It also said the hostages were found in two separate areas of the camp, noting that they were in good health.

An American unit in Israel supported the efforts to rescue four Israeli hostages in the central Gaza strip, CNN reported Saturday citing a US official.

"An American cell in Israel supported the efforts to rescue four Israeli hostages, working with Israeli forces on the operation," the official told CNN.

CNN previously reported that Israel prepared for weeks for Saturday's operation, with hundreds of personnel from the Israeli military, the domestic intelligence service and a special police unit involved.

Earlier Saturday, Israel said that it retrieved four Israeli hostages from the central Gaza Strip after a military operation in the area.

The army identified the freed hostages as Noa Argamani, 25; Andrey Kozlov, 27; Shlomi Ziv, 40; and Almog Meir, 21.

It also said the hostages were found in two separate areas of the camp, noting that they were in good health.

Comment: The same can rarely be said for detained Palestinians: Israeli doctor says detained Palestinians are undergoing 'routine' amputations for handcuff injuries - CNN

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last Oct. 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 36,700 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and over 83,500 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.​​​​​​​

Comment: Andalou reports on the Nuseirat camp massacre that occurred amidst the hostage rescue:

"The Israeli special forces used a closed transport truck and a civilian vehicle in the infiltration operation to retrieve the hostages," the sources told Anadolu.

"These transport vehicles are widespread in the Gaza Strip and are used to transport humanitarian aid during the Israeli war," they added.

According to witnesses, Israeli military vehicles unexpectedly advanced into areas east and northwest of the Nuseirat camp, coinciding with heavy artillery bombardment targeting large areas of the camp.

Some 210 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 injured on Saturday in severe Israeli airstrikes targeting Nuseirat refugee camp, areas east of Deir al-Balah, and al-Bureij and al-Maghazi camps in central Gaza, coinciding with a sudden incursion of vehicles east and northwest of Nuseirat.

Western leaders praise the rescue and failed to mention the massacre; Al Jazeera reports:

Scholz ignores Nuseirat massacre, says operation 'sign of hope'

According to the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, 4 Israeli captives being retrieved alive is an "important sign of hope."

The chancellor made no mention of the massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in order for the 4 captives to have been released, or the 210 Palestinians who were brutally killed.

Heartbreaking videos were shared on social media depicting dozens of martyrs, including children, killed by the Israeli indiscriminate bombing of the Nuseirat Refugee camp. Many of the martyrs have been turned into pieces scattered across the streets of the camp.

"An important sign of hope -- in particular for the numerous Israeli families who continue to fear for those close to them. Four hostages are now free," Scholz wrote on X.

Missing from the translation is the last part of the tweet: 'Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end.'

No mention of the fears of Gazans. No mention of the massacre. One might conclude that Scholz perceives Palestinians, and their fears, as of lesser import than those of Israelis.

Following "Israel's" assault on the Nuseirat refugee camp on Saturday which killed at least 210 Palestinians, the US President Joe Biden has not only not condemned the aggression but on the contrary, celebrated the retrieval of 4 Israeli captives during the strike.

Congratulating the Israeli families for the release of the captives with French President Emmanuel Macron, Biden stated that the US "won't stop working until all the hostages are home and a ceasefire is reached. That's essential to happen."

According to the correspondent, dozens of Israeli rockets targeted civilian homes in Nuseirat camp. Many women and children are among the casualties being transported to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital using animal-drawn carts and private vehicles due to the dire circumstances of the healthcare system.

There are reports of many dead and wounded who have not yet been reached by ambulances. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll from the bombardment currently stands at 60 and is expected to continue rising. However, our correspondent has reported upwards of 80 martyrs.

According to Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza, an Israeli special force had infiltrated Nuseirat Camp. Upon the force's discovery by the Resistance, heavy confrontations ensued. According to our correspondent, it was the discovery of the force that led to this heavy Israeli shelling and the massacre in the camp.

Further analysis:

How the Nuseirat Massacre unfolded:

Israel used the US-built 'humanitarian pier' to sneak in a unit of Israeli soldiers, and reportedly American soldiers. The soldiers boarded a humanitarian aid truck and drove to Nuseirat refugee camp.

Once inside, they were discovered by Palestinians, which resulted in nonstop Israeli aerial bombardment and the soldiers opening fire inside the central market, killing over 210 Palestinians and injuring hundreds.

The 'humanitarian pier' gets exposed to be an occupation, assassination, and massacre pier.

The Americans cannot be trusted under any circumstances. A humanitarian pier built under the guise of helping hungry and starving Palestinians, was actually used to massacre them.

Every day the US' colonial barbarism gets revealed to be more and more horrific.

An Israeli news anchor was allegedly fired for highlighting the good health of the hostages. Granted part of the comment is rather tasteless, however, throughout this genocide, that's never been a problem for Israel's media bosses: