Gaza Residents Claim Israeli Special Forces Disguise As Hamas Members While Freeing Hostages In Nuseirat

The Israeli military during the hostage release operation in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - A resident of the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, Palestine said on Sunday he saw Israeli military members posing as Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians during an operation to rescue four hostages last Saturday.

"I saw special forces coming. They wore military uniforms such as resistance fighters, carried helmets and wore signs of resistance, giving people the impression that they were resistance fighters, but actually, they were Israeli special forces units," Khalil Al Tirawi told CNN, as quoted June 10.

Tirawi said he saw the Israeli military coming in a car, "wearing local military and civilian uniforms," after which a gun battle broke out, and he saw the missile "falling from all directions."

"I am 60 years old and have never experienced anything like this before. This is beyond imagination, heavy firings, artillery missiles, rockets. It is something that the human mind doesn't imagine," Tirawi said.

Tirawi said his house was hit by a missile, along with five other houses, including the house of two of his neighbors and the house of his brother.

CNN has contacted Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Speaking to reporters after the operation, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Allahhi declined to say whether his members disguised themselves as Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli military had previously used disguise as a tactic in its operations. When asked if civilian-clad Israeli troops had participated, Laksda totaled: "We used techniques and methods, which I would not give details to the enemy."

As previously reported, Israel carried out attacks from land, sea, and air on Nuseirat for two hours last Saturday, becoming the largest attack in six months in Gaza.

The Israeli military announced that the four people who were successfully released were Noa Argamani (26), Almog Meir Jan (22), Andrey Kozlov (27) and Shlomi Ziv (41), quoted from Daily Sabah.

Separately, local health authorities said the death toll from last Saturday's Israeli attack on the refugee camp in Central Gaza had reached 274 as of Sunday, while nearly 700 injured, the majority of civilians consisting of children and women, told WAFA.

The operation comes days after an Israeli attack on a Nuseirat school managed by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which a hospital in Gaza says has killed 40 people.