On Saturday, Gaza experienced its deadliest single day since mid-December, with the Ministry of Health in Gaza reporting 283 people killed. This brings the total death toll during the current war in Gaza to 37,084.
The majority of the casualties on Saturday occurred during an Israel Defense Forces operation to rescue four Israeli hostages in Nuseirat, central Gaza. The raid resulted in 274 Palestinians being killed and 698 injured, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The IDF, however, disputes these numbers, estimating the casualties from the operation to be 'under 100.'
It is important to note that the health ministry does not differentiate between civilian casualties and Hamas fighters. Due to the lack of international media access to Gaza, the casualty figures provided by the ministry cannot be independently verified.
Witnesses described the situation in central Gaza during the Israeli operation as 'hell on earth,' with videos showing bloodied children being rushed into crowded emergency rooms after the attack. Additionally, nine people were killed and 116 injured in other parts of the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.
This marks the deadliest day in Gaza since December 10, when nearly 300 people lost their lives, according to Ministry of Health records.
In response to the incident, the United States administration, which assisted with intelligence gathering for the operation, acknowledged that civilians were killed. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, stating that the exact number of civilian casualties is unknown.
Regarding Hamas' claim that additional hostages were killed during the mission, Sullivan mentioned that there is no verified evidence to support this assertion. The Israelis have also stated that they do not have any information confirming the deaths of other hostages.
