US unit assisted Israel in deadly Gaza hostage rescue operation — report

An American unit in Israel supported the efforts to rescue four Israeli hostages in central Gaza, according to US media.

“An American cell in Israel supported the efforts to rescue four Israeli hostages, working with Israeli forces on the operation,” a US official told CNN on Saturday.

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 on Saturday, Israel said that it retrieved four Israeli hostages from central Gaza 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.

The Israeli attack on the camp has killed over 210 Palestinians and wounded hundreds.

Israel's Gaza war

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a Hamas attack last October 7 despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire.

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.​​​​​​​