![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Israeli-female-soldiers-shopping-and-leisure-travel-beach-gun-their-hands-Israeli-female-soldiers-to-participate-in-the-live-fire-exercises-Leisure-on-the-beach-1-198x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Israeli Defense Forces pulled off a daring daylight raid Saturday in the Nuseirat refugee camp late last week and liberated four hostages who had been taken October 7 at the Nova music festival. Hamas immediately claimed civilian casualties were huge. Seemingly thousands of innocent women and children were killed (no doubt they were relieved at losing none of their own Hamas terrorists.)<\/p>\n
Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, were rescued by the Israeli military, intelligence and special forces from two separate locations in Nuseirat, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday.<\/p>\n
They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the \u2018Sheba\u2019 Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,\u201d the IDF added.<\/p>\n
An\u00a0Israeli\u00a0policeman from a special\u00a0counter-terrorism\u00a0unit was killed in Saturday\u2019s rescue operation, according to\u00a0Israeli\u00a0police.<\/p>\n
At least 236 people have been killed as a result of the rescue operation and more than 400 injured, hospital officials in Gaza said Saturday. CNN<\/a><\/p>\n
Al-Awda Hospital director Dr Marwan Abu Nasser told CNN that 142 bodies had been counted at the medical facility by late Saturday, while Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah said 94 bodies had been counted.<\/p>\n
CNN has no way of verifying casualty numbers reported by Palestinian officials in Gaza. Medical records in the war-torn enclave do not differentiate between civilians and militants killed.<\/p>\n
An Israeli military spokesperson put the number of casualties from the operation at \u201cunder 100,\u201d and had no information on how many of those were civilians.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
You have the option of believing any of the multitudinous casualty counts.<\/p>\n
\nRear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israeli forces had to enter civilian areas to reach hostages as this was where Hamas had embedded itself.<\/p>\n
He said the hostages had been locked in two separate apartments in civilian multi-story buildings about 200 meters (650 feet) apart, with Argamani held in a different building to the three males. He said the IDF had received intelligence on their location beforehand, noting that hostages in Gaza were frequently moved around and Argamani had previously been held elsewhere. Similar raids had been called off at the last minute \u201cmore than three or four times\u201d due to unfavorable conditions, he added.<\/p>\n
Following Saturday\u2019s announcement, the total number of hostages still held in the Gaza Strip from October 7 is now 116, of which at least 41 are dead.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Opinion pieces are already appearing saying the Israelis should be happy now and should declare peace. (My math says 116-41= 85 remaining presumed alive.) And, our VP has already jumped into the breach to make her mind known:<\/p>\n
\nVice President Harris mourned the Palestinians who were killed in a successful Israeli hostage rescue operation this weekend during an address delivered Saturday.<\/p>\n
On Oct. 7, Hamas committed a brutal massacre of 1,200 innocent people and abducted 250 hostages,” she continued. “Thankfully, four of those hostages were reunited with their families tonight. And we mourn all of the innocent lives that have been lost in Gaza, including those tragically killed today.”\u00a0 Fox News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
And for civilian casualties:<\/p>\n
\nIsraeli forces say Hamas intentionally kept the hostages in a “civilian environment.” They also said even the Palestinians who were holding the hostages were also “civilians.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Maybe an old-fashioned prejudice on my part, but seems to me if you are a ‘civilian’ helping the enemy hold hostages, you ARE the enemy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"