Nuseirat rescue and massacre

The Nuseirat refugee camp was established in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinians were expelled or fled from Israel during the 1948 Palestine war. Israel began its occupation of the Gaza Strip in 1967, and since 2007, the area has been under Israeli air and naval blockade. On 7 October 2023, the Qassam Brigades (the militant wing of the Hamas party) launched an attack on Israel. As part of the attack, in which other Palestinian militant groups were also involved, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian militant groups kidnapped 251 Israeli civilians and soldiers. This attack led to the Gaza war. The camp has been repeatedly bombed during the Israel-Hamas war, with over a hundred Palestinians killed in the attacks. The most recent attack on the camp occurred only days before the rescue operation, with IDF forces striking the UNRWA school in the camp, killing at least 33 people. The deceased classification are contested with Gaza sources reporting a number of women and children were in the death toll, while the IDF said the deceased included Hamas Nukhba and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants. This operation was the third known successful hostage rescue carried out by the IDF since the start of the war. IDF Corporal Ori Megidish was rescued in October 2023 from the northern part of the Gaza Strip, and two male hostages were rescued in February 2024 from southern Rafah. Additionally, a number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners were exchanged in 2023. == Hostages ==

All four hostages rescued had been abducted from the Re'im music festival, and were identified as Noa Argamani (26-years-old), Almog Meir Jan (22-years-old), Andrey Kozlov (27-years-old), and Shlomi Ziv (41-years-old). Both Argamani and Meir Jan were festival goers while Kozlov, a recent immigrant from Russia, and Ziv had been employed as security guards for the festival. Argamani was shown in one of the initial videos released by Hamas documenting the massacre. She was seen being taken away on a motorcycle while yelling, "Don't kill me!" Her arms are outstretched towards her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who was also being kidnapped. This footage became emblematic of the hostage crisis, leading to Argamani being described as "the face of the Nova music festival hostages." Argamani's family had indications that she was alive, as she appeared in a Hamas video released in January 2024. The three male hostages, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan, and Andrey Kozlov reported that they had gone through physical and psychological abuse while in Hamas captivity in Gaza, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. For six months they were confined to a single dark room without any contact with the outside world. They faced severe punishments for non-compliance, such as being locked in a small bathroom or buried under blankets in intense heat. The doctor in charge of treatment for the rescued hostages said they were beaten and showed signs of malnutrition due to a lack of adequate food while in captivity. Additionally, the captors subjected them to psychological torment, including threats of death and claims that no one was coming to rescue them. Prof. Itai Pesach at the Sheba Medical Centre who treated the three male hostages, stated that they suffered from severe trauma and had muscle atrophy due to malnutrition. Argamani said she had been held in four different apartments during her eight months in captivity and that in the last location, the family made her wash their dishes. Ynet reported that she also cooked at times with basic ingredients she was provided. They did not name any of them, or show photographs, but they claimed that one of the three was a US citizen and released a short video with text in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The Brigades did not give details of how the hostages supposedly died, but said they were killed by the Israeli military. == Rescue ==

The IDF said that they worked with Shin Bet and Israeli police to free the four Israeli hostages. It was also later reported that the operation was aided by intelligence support from the United States and the United Kingdom. The operation was planned for several weeks, and was carried out after an intelligence opportunity arose. Some of the special forces members entered the refugee camp in a vehicle with a mattress on top, posing as Palestinian refugees fleeing Rafah per Saudi reporters. They reportedly told locals that they were escaping the Israeli assault on Rafah, while other Palestinian locals alleged that other forces entered in humanitarian trucks. However, a senior official in the Biden administration stated that the Israeli forces did not use an aid truck. The female hostage, Argamani, was reportedly held separately from the three male hostages, who had been reportedly held together throughout their eight-month captivity. None of them were held in the Hamas tunnel network. The IDF stated that, at the time of the rescue, the three male hostages were being held in the family home of Ahmed Al-Jamal, a physician. His son , a freelance journalist, was also in the household. Ramy Abdu, chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, reported that Ahmed Al-Jamal, Abdullah Al-Jamal, and the latter's wife were all killed after Israeli forces stormed the home by ladder. Al Jazeera disputed IDF allegations that Abdullah Al-Jamal had been one of its journalists, stating that he had contributed to an opinion piece published on its website but had no other involvement with the network. The Palestine Chronicle, a nonprofit online publication that Abdullah Al-Jamal had contributed to in the past, reported inconsistencies in the Israeli narrative. An investigation by The Wall Street Journal reported that the Al-Jamal family had been known for its close ties with and support of Hamas. Locals criticized Hamas for placing hostages in civilian areas. During the extraction of the three male hostages, a major gun battle reportedly erupted, causing the mortal wounding of the commander of the Yamam rescue team for that building. The three male hostages were extracted from the refugee camp, but when the extraction vehicle became stuck, additional forces had to rescue them as the vehicle came under fire. They were then brought to a landing zone on the coast and airlifted into Israel. A witness who had been in the marketplace stated that about 150 rockets fell at and around the market place in less than 10 minutes. Per a resident and paramedic in the camp, the assault felt like a "horror movie" and that Israeli drones and warplanes fired randomly throughout the night at peoples homes and those who tried to flee the area. Videos were posted to social media, reportedly showing corpses with entrails spilling out lying on blood-stained streets after the attack, although Reuters was unable to immediately verify the footage. The US denied that its Gaza floating pier (intended for the delivery of aid into Gaza) was used in the operation. The denial followed the release of imagery showing the landing zone used for the air evacuation immediately south along the coast from the pier, with the U.S. facility clearly visible in the near background. • Less than 100 Palestinian casualties (Per IDF) }} == Massacre ==

Airstrikes According to reports, "at least one of the [escape] vehicles" for ferrying the three male rescued hostages broke down, requiring additional forces to escape. Israeli forces henceforth called for additional support, "from the air, from the sea, and on the ground." Scores of local people, including children, were killed. According to a statement from Doctors without Borders, which works nearby at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, "there have been back-to-back mass casualties as densely populated areas are bombed. It's way beyond what anyone could deal with in a functional hospital, let alone with the scarce resources we have here." The Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat was also overwhelmed with casualties, "including many children laid out in the corridors". == Casualties ==

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 274 Palestinians were killed during the operation with around 700 wounded. The death toll included 64 children and 57 women. Another 100 people killed in the attacks were taken to al-Awda hospital. Ziad, a paramedic and resident of Nuseirat and Abu Ubaida, a spokesperson for al-Qassam Brigades referred to the attack as a massacre. The day after the operation, Hamas's armed wing uploaded a video to its Telegram channel appearing to show corpses of three hostages that were reportedly killed during the rescue operation. The faces of the corpses were obscured to prevent identification. == War crimes ==

The UN human rights office said that both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups may have committed war crimes, citing potential "violations of rules of proportionality, distinction and precaution" in the case of the former and "holding hostages in densely populated areas" for the latter. Al-Haq called on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to investigate the killings. Kenneth Roth agreed, stating that Israel has never investigated senior IDF officials for war crimes. Proportionality The rule of proportionality prohibits "Launching an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated." Professor Ben Saul writes Israel launched the rescue operation knowing civilian casualties would be excessive. Adil Haque writes that the harm to civilians was foreseeable in advance of the operation. EMR also writes that the operation was launched with "despite prior knowledge of the presence of hundreds of civilians." Israeli military said it resorted to immense firepower after it got stuck. But Haque pointed to Israeli prior preparations, such as "air support ready to go" and "ground support ready to go", that indicated the Israelis had foreseen this situation. Kenneth Roth questions why force is necessary for releasing hostages, pointing out through a prisoner exchange Israel was able to release more than 100 hostages, while rescue operations had only released 7. CIHRS also pointed out that a negotiated prisoner exchange between the two sides was done without any civilian casualties. UN Human Rights experts said while it was legitimate to rescue four hostages, the violence used against civilians was "excessive". Tammy Caner of Tel Aviv University argues that the goal of freeing hostages was so significant to Israel, that the deaths of civilians in service of that goal were "not considered excessive". Al-Haq wrote the sheer scale of civilian casualties indicates Israel had "a systemic policy that views Palestinian lives as expendable". Distinction Israeli IHL lawyer Michael Sfard said the high number of casualties raises the question whether Israeli forces conducted "random, indiscriminate use of bombardment in a very densely populated area". A UN spokesperson also said the law of distinction may have been violated. Oxfam said the killings appeared to be indiscriminate. Witnesses interviewed by Al-Jazeera and CNN described the Israeli forces indiscriminately shooting at the civilian population during the attacks. One camp resident said Israeli soldiers summarily executed people on the street. Precautions A UN spokesman man said that Hamas holding hostages in civilian areas put "the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk”. Calls to change IHL Emanuel Gross of Haifa University stated that IHL was "created for wars between two nations, not a nation against a terror group", and thus the international community ought to change IHL for this sort of situation. Yuval Kaplinsky, former head of Israeli State Attorney, said such a case of a hostage rescue mission was unprecedented and therefore difficult to evaluate. == Aftermath ==

in Petah Tikva renamed in honor of , the commander of the rescue operation who later died of his wounds. Argamani was reunited with her father and transported to Sheba Medical Center to be reunited with her mother, where she was being treated for terminal brain cancer. Her father told reporters "Today is my birthday, and what a present I received". During a phone call with Argamani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "we didn't give up on you for a moment." The rescue operation, originally named "Seeds of Summer" was renamed as "Operation Arnon", in honor of , the commander of the rescue mission who later died of his wounds. Arab Israeli actress and TV presenter Lama Tatour was fired after she created a post on Instagram regarding Noa Argamani's appearance. She wrote: "this is what a girl that's been in captivity for nine months looks like? [...] This is what innocent women and children are being killed for in Gaza?" and said that Argamani's eyebrows looked better than her own. Some interpreted her comments as "insensitive" and "mocking" Argamani's appearance. Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz postponed a scheduled news conference the night of the raid, which coincided with his deadline to resign if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not present a new plan for the war. The following day, he resigned. that was seen in the background of a video of a helicopter taking off from a nearby beach. The video became the motivation for allegations that Israel used the pier for the rescue operation. United States officials stated that the pier was only used for humanitarian aid and the helicopter was used to return the hostages into Israel and had landed south of the pier but not within the cordoned off area. Oxfam and other aid organizations said they were waiting for answers from the U.S. government. The pier was removed due to bad weather on 28 June 2024. == Reactions ==

Domestic • issued a press release on 8 June calling the actions of the IDF and Israeli military a "horrible massacre against innocent civilians." • : Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas described the rescue operation as a "massacre." The day after the operation, Abbas instructed the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations to request an emergency session with the United Nations Security Council to discuss the repercussions of the operation and resulting deaths. • : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "We are committed to do so in the future as well. We will not let up until we complete the mission and return home all the hostages — both those alive and dead." Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the operation was "daring in nature, planned brilliantly, and executed in an extraordinary fashion." • According to the IDF, Hamas pays Palestinian families to hold the hostages in their houses, which may account for the high casualties. In addition, a large firefight occurred as IDF special forces were attempting to extract the hostages, reportedly coming under fire from dozens of militants with RPGs and machine guns when their vehicle became stuck. The IDF then called in airstrikes to cover their evacuation. • : Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed being "very much relieved," but emphasized, "far too many are still being brutally held hostage by Hamas. All of them need to be released immediately." He also pledged to continue "all efforts" to secure the release of hostage Tal Shoham, who holds Austrian citizenship. • : Foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez stated, "We condemn in the strongest terms the massacre carried out by the Israeli army in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza." • : the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it "a flagrant violation of all rules of international law". • : President Emmanuel Macron Macron praised the hostage rescue and called for a lasting political solution to the war in Gaza. • : Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote that the rescue of the hostages was an "important sign of hope", adding that "four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end". • : the country condemned the "repeated atrocities" committed by Israel in Gaza, including in the Nuseirat refugee camp, and called for an immediate ceasefire. • : the country denounced the killing of civilians and called "on the international community and especially the Security Council to take immediate and urgent action to stop Israel's war crimes in Gaza." • : The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the operation a massacre. • : Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik condemned the attack on civilians and called for the release of all hostages. • : Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski wrote: "Bravo, IDF. May all hostages return home and may there be a just peace between Israel and Palestine". • : the country denounced the killing of civilians, calling it a "barbaric attack". • : Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote that "It is a huge relief to see hostages returned after their unimaginable ordeal and heartwarming to see the pictures of them reunited with their families. We will continue to strive towards an end to the fighting as well as safety and security for all." • : United States President Joe Biden lauded the rescue of the hostages, and pledges to "not stop working" until all the hostages are freed. • : A top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell condemned the level of casualties in the Nuseirat refugee camp as a result of the rescue, calling it "...another massacre of civilians". He also called for a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages. • : In response to the operation, the Iranian-backed group launched attacks against northern Israel, stating that: "this targeting came in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their brave and honorable resistance, and in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks". • : Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi described the operation as a "terrorist crime that targeted unarmed civilians with unprecedented barbarism." Humanitarian aid groups • The Palestine Red Crescent Society denounced the use of a humanitarian aid truck as a disguise for military operations, labeling it as a "violation of international humanitarian and customary law" and noting that such actions constitute perfidy, which is considered a war crime. • The Doctors Without Borders coordinator in Gaza asked, "How many more men, women and children have to be killed before world leaders decide to put an end to this massacre?" According to Dr. Tanya Haj-Hassan, a Doctors Without Border pediatrician, colleagues in the emergency department at Al-Asqa hospital described the situation by "repeating the word massacre, massacre, massacre over and over again." • Oxfam called the attack a "horrifying" massacre and an "unacceptable and unconscionable price to pay". Other • Saul Takahashi, a professor at Osaka Jogakuin University and a former deputy for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated, "The claim that the Israeli attack on Nuseirat camp was justified is completely ignorant of international law. Israel has shown itself time and time again that it does not care about international and humanitarian laws." • Kenneth Roth, the former director of Human Rights Watch and a professor at Princeton University, stated the attack was "inconsistent with the duty to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians harm." == See also ==