Israeli bombings continue, the day after the release of four hostages

New Israeli strikes took place in Gaza this Sunday, June 9, the day after an operation ” difficult “ of the IDF which allowed the release of four Israeli hostages in the Nusseirat refugee camp.

The toll, very heavy but which is subject to caution, amounts to 274 dead according to Hamas. He would rank the operation organized by Israel among the deadliest since the start of the war.

The release of the hostages was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and strongly condemned by Hamas, which accuses the Jewish state of having committed ” horrible massacres » to arrive at his ends.

An operation in a very populated residential area

The Israeli army raid targeted a densely populated residential area in central Gaza. The attacks particularly affected the refugee camp and the Nousseirat district, which hid “terrorist infrastructure” according to the IDF. Witnesses reported shooting from drones and helicopters against the camp. AFP images show charred cars, gutted buildings and smoking rubble through which men make their way to try to rescue the injured.

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In a voice transferred to “Le Monde”, Karin Huster, a referring doctor for MSF at Al-Aqsa hospital, near Nousseirat, reported “lots of bombing”. “It was total chaos inside” with “hundreds of patients” on the ground, she said, ensuring that “nothing justifies this [qu’elle a] seen “.

Intense clashes between the army and Palestinian fighters are taking place in the al-Bureij and neighboring al-Maghazi camps, according to witnesses. The Israeli army confirmed in a statement that it had struck “dozens of terrorist infrastructure cells, including a tunnel located in a civilian structure”during operations in Bureij and Deir al-Balah.

Israeli attacks continued beyond the hostage evacuation operation. In the North, four members of the same family were killed and several others injured in an airstrike that hit their house in Al-Darraj, a neighborhood of Gaza City, according to doctors at Al-Ahli hospital. In the South, heavy weapons fire was also reported in Rafah, already targeted by intense bombings in recent weeks.

Netanyahu’s military strategy reinforced

“You have proven that Israel does not give in to terrorism and acts with boundless creativity and courage to bring our hostages home”declared Benjamin Netanyahu, to the attention of the Israeli forces. “We will not give up until we have successfully completed the mission and brought all our hostages home, the living and the dead”he insisted.

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In the ninth month of the devastating war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, this release reinforces the Israeli Prime Minister in his very offensive military strategy. The freed hostages, aged 22 to 41, were all four kidnapped from the site of the Nova electro music festival, during the Hamas attack on October 7 in Israel.

The release was described as “miraculous triumph” by the Hostage Families Forum, which welcomed the“heroic operation” of the Israeli army. The association also called on the Netanyahu government to “remember your commitment to bring back” all the people still detained in Gaza, numbering 116, according to the Israeli army’s count.

Rejoicing in ” a lot “ of “messages of support”the head of Israeli diplomacy, Israel Katz, regretted that “only Israel’s enemies complained about the victims [parmi] Hamas terrorists and their accomplices ». “We will continue to act with determination and strength”he added in a press release.

Mixed reactions internationally

Saying “relieved” of the release of the hostages, the UN special rapporteur in the Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese deplored that it was “at the cost of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, killed and more than 400 injured”. “This horror must stop”insisted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a publication on X (formerly Twitter).

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the release of the four Israeli hostages. “We welcome the four Israeli hostages released today by the Israeli army”he greeted this Saturday during a press conference where he also called for “an immediate ceasefire” and to a “political solution” to the conflict.

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“We will not stop working until all the hostages have returned home”, for his part declared President Joe Biden, also present at the Elysée. American Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in the Middle East in the coming days to “promote a ceasefire proposal” recently presented by Washington. The latest negotiations for a truce in the Gaza Strip ended in failure.