They had been kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October during the Nova electro music festival

On Saturday 8 June, the Israeli army announced that it had freed four Israeli hostages during a ‘difficult’ military operation in Nousseirat, in the centre of the Gaza Strip. The hostages are Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, all of whom were kidnapped by Hamas on 7 October during the Nova electro music festival, according to the army.

The hostages were ‘rescued’ from two different locations in Nousseirat, the army said. ‘They are in good health and have been transferred to the Sheba medical centre in Tel HaShomer for further medical examinations’, the official statement said.

The Hostage Families Forum described the release as a ‘miraculous triumph’ and reiterated that the Israeli government must honour its commitment to bring back all those still being held in Gaza. ‘The message sent to Hamas this morning is clear: we are determined to bring all the hostages home’, said Israeli army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.

For its part, Hamas reported that the Israeli attacks on the Nousseirat camp had left at least 210 people dead and more than 400 wounded, without mentioning the release of the hostages.