Some hostages were killed during Israel’s rescue operation, the armed wing of Hamas has claimed.
In a post on Telegram, al Qassam Brigades spokesman Abu Ubaida said: “The enemy was able, by committing horrific massacres, to free some of its prisoners, but at the same time it killed some of them during the operation.”
He also warned other hostages could be in danger.
“The operation will pose a great danger to the enemy prisoners and will have a devastating impact on their conditions and lives,” he said.
Hostages father celebrates birthday with her return from Gaza
One of the hostages released today was Noa Argamani.
The 25-year-old was kidnapped from the Nova festival along with her boyfriend, who remains in Hamas captivity.
She has been one of the most widely recognised hostages, as the video of her abduction was among the first to surface.
After eight months apart, she was reunited with her father at Tel HaShomer Hospital this afternoon.
In a statement released on his behalf, he revealed today was his birthday.
“See what a gift I received for my birthday,” Yaakov Argamani said.
“Noa has returned, and therefore I wish to say – Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.
“I want to thank each and every one of you, the President, the Prime Minister, everyone, each and every person. Let us not forget that there are still 120 hostages; we must release them.
“We must make every effort, in every way possible, to bring them here to Israel, to their families.
“One more thing, Noa is fine, thank God, she looks wonderful, looks excellent.”
‘I’m so excited I could hug him’ – Families of freed hostages holding news conference
The families of the four freed hostages are speaking to journalists in Tel Aviv.
The mother of 21-year-old Almog Meir Jan thanks the Israel Defence forces for returning her son, saying she was “so excited to hug him today”.
“There are still 20 hostages in Gaza and we want a deal now. We want them to come back home as soon as possible,” Orit Meir adds.
“Thank you for the army, thank you for the government, thank you for everyone.”
She also says it is her birthday tomorrow and her son’s return is her present.
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