Israel army says rescued 4 Israeli captives alive in Gaza amid heavy bombing of Nuseirat

The Israeli military said Saturday its troops had rescued four Israeli captives alive from Gaza after a "complex daytime operation" that saw heavy airstrikes on the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.

"Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir Jan (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), were kidnapped by the Hamas terrorist organization from the Nova music festival on October 7," the military said in a statement, adding the four were in "good medical condition."

According to Israeli publication Haaretz, Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken Noa Argamani who is currently being treated at the Tel HaShomer hospital in central Israel. 

Meanwhile Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant hailed the operation in a post on X, doubling down on the Israeli war effort saying that "we will keep fighting until 120 hostages are home." 

Around 250 people were taken into Gaza during Hamas 7 October attack on Israel, which also saw 1,200 killed.

The operation saw the use of heavy airstrikes in Nuseirat refugee camp, with Palestinian news agency WAFA reporting that at least 40 people were killed, including women and children, in the airstrikes.

Gaza's health ministry has said that the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, which is accommodating many of the casualties, is struggling to cope due to shortages of medicine and medical supplies as well as the shut down of the main electrical generator in the hospital. 

Israel's war on Gaza, which has now entered its ninth month, has killed 36,801 Palestinians with a further 83,680 being wounded.