Four Hamas hostages released, Australia calls for civilian protection after rescue operation

A spokesperson for the foreign minister pushed for a ceasefire after hundreds of Palestinians were killed during a rescue operation.

The federal government has repeated its calls for a ceasefire in Gaza after four Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas were freed during a deadly rescue operation.

More than 200 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 were injured after Israeli forces heavily bombarded Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday, according to local officials.

Four hostages taken captive by Hamas militants were recovered, including Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41.

The exact death toll of the operation has not been verified.

Ms Argamani, 26, had been one of the most widely recognised hostages after being kidnapped from a music festival in southern Israel. Picture: Supplied.

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed during the bombardment. Picture: Bashar Taleb/AFP.

In a statement released on Sunday, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “We want to see all hostages released, civilians protected, and parties agree to the ceasefire proposal presented by President Biden.”

President Biden last week outlined a three-phase proposal from the Israeli government that would lead to the withdrawal of troops in Gaza and the return of all remaining hostages captured in the October 7 attacks.

The rescued group of hostages were among the 250 people abducted by Palestinian militants after Hamas launched an attack on the Nova music festival in Southern Israel last year.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said there were “tears of joy” in Jewish households after hearing the news and called for the remaining 120 captives to be freed.

“The rescue of Noa Argamani particularly touched our community. The scene of Noa being dragged away from a music festival and hauled into captivity on the back of a motorbike pleading for her life, is one of the defining images of October 7,” Mr Ryvchin said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said they were overjoyed at the news of the release. Picture: NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

“In December last year, two of Noa’s best friends came to this country to raise awareness of her terrible plight – and knowing right now the joy her friends are feeling, along with her mother and father, it truly warms our hearts.”

Israeli officials confirmed in a statement that the freed captives were in good medical condition and since have been transferred to hospitals in Israel for further examination.

Meanwhile, health authorities and Palestinian media have reported that a large number of wounded Gazans have flooded the remaining medical facilities in central Gaza, which have been overwhelmed amid shortages of medical equipment and generators.

Leaders are divided over the country’s response to the war. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Domestic tensions over Australia’s response to the conflict reached boiling point this week after the federal government accused the Greens of inflaming social divisions around the crisis.

Greens leader Adam Bandt declared the federal government was “complicit in genocide” after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claimed the minor party was encouraging pro-Palestinian protesters to target MPs’ offices.

Political debate further deteriorated after the Greens leader threatened defamation action against Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, over remarks he made to the ABC about the party’s role in the protests.

Speaking on Sunday, Education Minister Jason Clare said people across Australia were “hurting” watching scenes unfold in the Middle East.

“Those dead bodies that we see on television for many Jewish Australians, and for many Palestinian and Muslim Australians, they have names and their mum or their dad, their relatives, their family friends, and that’s how they feel, that personally, in a way that you and I guess we find hard to really, truly understand,” he told Sky.