Israeli troops carried out a targeted raid in the Gaza Strip on Friday in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue hostages held by Hamas, with both sides making conflicting claims about the resulting deaths and injuries. The Israeli military and the military wing of Hamas provided differing accounts, leaving it unclear whether they were describing the same rescue attempt or two separate events. Two Israeli soldiers were seriously injured in a rescue mission that did not recover any hostages, according to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief spokesman for the military, who also stated, “The forces raided a Hamas site and eliminated terrorists who had taken part in the abduction and captivity of hostages.”
In a statement, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, described discovering an Israeli team attempting to free an Israeli soldier. The resulting battle, the statement said, left “many soldiers wounded,” the hostage killed, and an Israeli rifle and radio recovered. The Israelis mentioned multiple hostages without identifying any of them as troops. Neither side admitted to any fatalities. Admiral Hagari stated that the military was working with Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, to identify the whereabouts of hostages and plan rescue missions. Israeli forces had previously reported just one targeted raid to recover a hostage, in late October, which resulted in the freeing of one woman, Ori Megidish, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier.
According to Israeli officials, Hamas and other groups kidnapped over 240 people during the October 7 attack on Israel, with over 130 estimated to still be held in Gaza. More than 100 have been released, primarily women and children, and some are believed to have died in captivity. Hamas claims that a number of hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.