We're closing this pagepublished at 20:03 British Summer Time 8 June
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Summary
Four hostages kidnapped from the Nova music festival on 7 October have been rescued by the Israeli military
Those freed are Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27 and Shlomi Ziv, 41
Israel says the rescue was conducted in broad daylight, under heavy fire, at two separate buildings in Nuseirat, central Gaza
Many people, including children, have been killed and injured in the area where the operation took place
Hamas claims more than 200 Palestinians died, but the figures are not from medical sources
News of the rescues was announced by loud speaker on Israeli beaches and cheered on the streets of Tel Aviv
We're closing this pagepublished at 20:03 British Summer Time 8 June
Rescue operation could change ceasefire calculations for Netanyahupublished at 19:30 British Summer Time 8 June
Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, reporting from Tel AvivIn Israel, this rescue is being celebrated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been consistently urged to accept a ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas - a plan that has faced opposition from many in this country, including far-right members of his coalition who say military action is the only way to bring the captives back home.
Today’s operation may change the calculation of a leader under mounting pressure.
But the Israeli military will come under international criticism for the immense harm to civilians, in a war that has already brought so much suffering to Gaza.
The information coming from Gaza is still not clear. But images show intense bombardment in the densely-populated Nuseirat refugee camp, the nearby al-Aqsa hospital overwhelmed with casualties with doctors unable to treat everyone, and many mourning the dead.
Hostages freed but scores of Palestinians killed - a recap of todaypublished at 19:06 British Summer Time 8 June
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Almog Meir Jan is one of the hostages rescued from Gaza
We're soon going to be bringing our live page to a close, but before we do here's a recap of what happened today:
- Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October have been rescued by the Israeli military during a day-time operation in central Gaza
- Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27 and Shlomi Ziv, 41 were freed from two seprate buildings in Nuseirat in what the Israeli military said was a "high-risk, complex" mission in the densely-populated area of Nuseirat
- Scores of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in and around the area of the operation. The al-Aqsa and al-Awda hospitals said they had counted 70 bodies between them, while the Hamas government's media office has put the death toll at 210. The Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza estimate there were under 100 casualties
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called for an emergency UN Security Council session to discuss what he called "the bloody massacre that was carried out by the Israeli forces"
- World leaders, including US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have welcomed the news of the hostage rescue
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Israeli attacks have killed scores of Palestinians in Gaza
Uncertainty around Nuseirat death tollpublished at 18:54 British Summer Time 8 June
Scores of people, including children, have been killed and injured today in and around the central Gazan area where Israel's rescue operation took place, Nuseirat.
Two hospitals in Gaza, al-Aqsa hospital and al-Awda hospital, say they have counted 70 bodies between them.
The Hamas government media office has said that at least 210 people were killed and at least 400 wounded. The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has not yet given a figure.
Earlier, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, estimated there had been under 100 casualties.
The BBC has not been able to verify the casualty numbers.
António Guterres expressed 'relief' at hostage rescue, renews call for war to endpublished at 18:11 British Summer Time 8 June
UN Secretary General António Guterres posted on X, external, saying he had sent a message to the families of rescued hostages Noa Argamani and Shalomi Ziv.
Guterres says he expressed "relief that they and two other hostages are now free".
"I renew my appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and for an end to this war".
Biden and Macron react to hostage rescue operationpublished at 17:45 British Summer Time 8 June
US President Joe Biden welcomed the "safe rescue" of four Israeli hostages during a military operation in central Gaza.
Joe Biden was speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macon during his state visit to France.
Biden added: "We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a ceasefire is reached".
Macron also welcomed the reports, calling for the immediate release of all hostages in Gaza and an "immediate ceasefire".
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also reacted to the news, writing on X, external that the hostage release was an "important sign of hope".
"Four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end," Scholz wrote.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint statement on Saturday at the Elysee Palace in Paris
In pictures: The aftermath of the strikes in central Gazapublished at 17:22 British Summer Time 8 June
Hundreds of Palestinians are reported to have been wounded in the strikes in and around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp earlier today.
Images and footage showing significant numbers of casualties are being shared online.
The Hamas government media office say 210 people were killed in the strikes, while the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza estimate there were under 100 casualties.
Image source, EPAImage caption, A Palestinian medic carries a wounded child in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp. Hundreds are reported injured following Israeli strikes
Image source, EPAImage caption, Wounded patients are being treated by medical staff in tents near the site site of Saturday's strikes
Image source, EPAImage caption, Smoke can be seen rising from buildings near the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, the centre of the IDF's hostage rescue operation
Image source, EPAImage caption, Hundreds are reportedly being treated for injuries sustained during the strikes
Palestinian president calls for emergency UN Security Council sessionpublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 8 June
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency United Nations Security Council session to discuss what he has called "the bloody massacre that was carried out by the Israeli forces" in and around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Videos and images shows death, injury and destruction in central Gazapublished at 16:36 British Summer Time 8 June
Image source, Social mediaImage caption, Footage of a strike near Al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat
The sheer volume of footage documenting death, injury and destruction in Gaza today feels as large as at any point of the war.
One video from the al-Aqsa hospital shows numerous people with horrific injuries laying on the floor, leaving barely any space on the blood-stained floor for doctors to move between patients.
Other videos show a frequent stream of new cases being driven in by car and ambulance and carried into the building.
It appears that strikes took place across several locations in central Gaza, but Nuseirat - the location of the IDF operation to release four hostages - seems to have been hit hardest. There are several clips from vicinity of the local market which show bodies littered across the ground. Children are clearly among the victims.
As yet unverified footage said to be from nearby Bureji, and Deir al-Balah to the south have also emerged.
Hamas's media office says at least 210 killed in and around Nuseirat refugee camppublished at 16:35 British Summer Time 8 June
Hamas's government media office says at least 210 people were killed and at least 400 wounded on Saturday in Israeli strikes in and around the al-Nuseirat refugee camp
So far, the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are generally considered to be more reliable than the Hamas government media office, has not given a number of casualties.
Earlier, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, estimated there had been under 100 casualties.
Netanyahu says Israel committed to bringing hostages homepublished at 16:04 British Summer Time 8 June
Image source, ReutersBenjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had acted "creatively and bravely" to bring home the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
"We will not let up until we complete the mission and return home all the hostages - both those alive and dead," the Israeli prime minister says.
The operation is the most successful rescue of hostages by the Israeli military in this war and could alleviate some of the pressure Netanyahu has been facing to reach a ceasefire deal and secure the release of more hostages.
Following the operation, Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz postponed a statement he was due to make on Saturday in which he was widely expected to announce his resignation from the government.
Gazans criticise Hamas after release of hostagespublished at 15:59 British Summer Time 8 June
Rushdi Abualouf
BBC News Gaza correspondent
Image source, EPAImage caption, There were hundreds of Palestinian casualties in the area where the hostage rescue took place on Saturday
Gazans seized an opportunity following the release of hostages in Nuseirat to direct rare criticism at Hamas. Some vented anger and frustration, though others rushed to defend the group.
Hassan Omar, 37, lamented the unnecessary loss of lives in Israeli strikes. He told me: “For each Israeli hostage they could have freed 80 Palestinian prisoners and without any bloodshed - [that] is a million times better than losing 100 dead.
"My message to Hamas is stopping the loss is part of the gain, we should get rid of those who control us from Qatar hotels.”
Muhammad Diab wrote from Gaza: “Hiding hostages near a vital area and a commercial market crowded with people is abnormal behaviour and confirmation that these people do not value our blood and lives. They will continue this nonsense until the last child dies."
However, Hamas supporters rushed to defend the movement, arguing that the release of hostages was not a significant achievement in the overall conflict with Israel. Uday al-Rantisi stated: “It was a small victory in the midst of larger defeats."
In pictures: Rescued hostages reunited with loved onespublished at 15:49 British Summer Time 8 June
Photos of the rescued hostages embracing family members have been released.
They received a check-up at a medical centre near Tel Aviv, where the photos were taken.
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Almog Meir Jan is greeted by his loved ones in Ramat Gan
Image source, ReutersImage caption, Noa Argamani embraces her father Yakov Argamani after being rescued
Image source, IDF spokespersonImage caption, Shlomi Ziv embraces his loved ones
Image source, IDF spokespersonImage caption, Andrei Kozlov, a Russian who lives in Israel, breaks down as he speaks with his loved ones over the phone
What we know so farpublished at 15:46 British Summer Time 8 June
As we've been reporting, four hostages kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October have been rescued by Israeli forces today. Dozens of Palestinians, including children, have been killed and injured in the area where the operation took place.
Here's a quick recap of what we know:
- Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, who were kidnapped from the Nova music festival, were freed during a day-time raid in Nuseirat, central Gaza
- All said are said to be in good medical condition and have been pictured embracing family at the 'Sheba' Tel-HaShomer Medical Center, where they have been checked
- IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said the "high-risk, complex" joint mission - conducted with the Israeli Security Agency and Israel Police - was based on "precise" intelligence. One special forces who was critically wounded in the operation has since died in hospital
- Dozens of people, including children, have been killed and injured in the area where the operation took place, with images and footage showing significant numbers of casualties
- Staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital are said to be struggling to treat the casualties
Israeli special forces officer killed following rescue operationpublished at 15:29 British Summer Time 8 June
An Israeli special forces officer who was wounded in the hostage rescue operation in central Gaza has died in hospital, Israel's police has said.
A 'miraculous triumph', families of hostages saypublished at 15:20 British Summer Time 8 June
The Hostages Families Forum Headquarters, a group representing the families of the hostages, described the rescue of the four hostages as “a miraculous triumph,” and thanked the IDF for the “heroic operation”.
During its October 7 attacks in southern Israel, Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took some 251 people hostage. Some 116 remain in the Palestinian territory, including 41 the army says are dead.
The group added: “The Israeli government must remember its commitment to bring back all 120 hostages still held by Hamas — the living for rehabilitation, the murdered for burial.”
At least 55 people killed in central Gaza, says Hamas-run health ministrypublished at 14:36 British Summer Time 8 June
BreakingAt least 55 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in attacks in Al-Nuseirat camp and other areas in central Gaza, according to the region's Hamas-run health ministry.
The spokesperson adds that the hospital, one of the only still functioning in Gaza, is currently operating via one power generator and that could go out of service.
Video circulating on social media shows chaos in Nuseirat, central Gazapublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 8 June
Image source, Social mediaImage caption, Numerous graphic videos have emerged on social media channels
In the past few hours, several videos from central Gaza have emerged showing wounded Palestinians lying on the streets or in hospital.
One such clip, which we have geolocated to a southern area of Nuseirat camp, shows scenes of total chaos as the camera tracks across several people exhibiting major injuries, some of whom are lying motionless on the ground.
Other videos show what appear to be air strikes taking place in the same area.
BBC Verify is working through all footage to gain a better understanding of what has happened.
Who are the four Israeli hostages who were rescued?published at 13:54 British Summer Time 8 June
Image source, Reuters/Bring Them Home NowImage caption, Noa Argamani, 26, was kidnapped from the Nova festival with her boyfriend, Avinatan Or. Harrowing video footage from 7 October showed her being taken away on the back of a motorbike screaming, "Don't kill me!"
Image source, Reuters/Bring Them Home NowImage caption, Almog Meir Jan, 22, was kidnapped from the festival, a day before he was due to start a new job for a tech company
Image source, Reuters/Bring Them Home NowImage caption, Andrei Kozlov, a Russian who moved to Israel in 2022, was working as a security guard at the festival
Image source, Reuters/Bring Them Home NowImage caption, 41-year-old Shlomi Ziv from Elkosh, a moshav in northern Israel, was also working as a security guard at the festival
Four hostages freed as dozens killed and injured in Gazapublished at 13:33 British Summer Time 8 June
Four hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7 October, have been rescued during a day-time raid in central Gaza.
Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed during a "high-risk, complex mission" from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The freed hostages are said to be in a good medical condition and have been pictured embracing family members at the 'Sheba' Tel-HaShomer Medical Center, where they have been checked.
Dozens of people, including children, have been killed and injured in the area where the operation took place, with images and footage showing significant numbers of casualties.
Staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital are said to be struggling to treat the casualties.
We will bring you the latest reports as they come in.