"Devastation in Gaza: The Impact of Israel's Surprise Raid on Nuseirat Camp"

A report by Toni Mrad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

 Israel carried out an unexpected operation on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. The camp was targeted from land, air, and sea, resulting in hundreds of casualties, both martyrs and wounded, whom medical teams are struggling to save with their limited medical resources.

Around 11 AM, the attack began, involving the Israeli army, Shin Bet, and the police. The unprecedented intense bombardment revealed a cover for a special operation to release Israeli captives. The political and military decision regarding the operation was made on Friday, after being postponed three times until the appropriate field conditions were met, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.

The captives were found in buildings above ground, not in tunnels. The operation resulted in the death of an Israeli special forces officer, as Palestinian fighters attempted to intercept the vehicle carrying the captives and caused it damage, according to Israeli media reports. Some of these captives were transported into Israel by a helicopter stationed near the US pier in Gaza, indicating a US role in the operation. This was mentioned by Axios, which quoted a US official saying that a US cell assisted in the release of the Israeli hostages.

The released Israelis are three men and a young woman who were captured on October 7 during a music festival. The released captive, Noa Argamani, had her voice recording published by the Al-Qassam Brigades last week, in which she urged pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government to release the Israeli captives.

The news of the captives' release was met with joy by the Israelis. However, what Tel Aviv did on Saturday was considered by Hamas as a sign of failure rather than an achievement, after nine months of fighting and destruction.