More details are coming out about the hostages rescued in Gaza. The four Israelis were held in private homes in Nuseirat.

On Saturday, the news broke that four hostages were rescued by the IDF with an assist from Israel's counterterrorism intelligence agency. It was a bold and brave mission. The hostages were held in buildings next to each other. Noa Argamani was held in one building, the other three hostages were in the building next door. Or at least that is what the first reports said. 

As the IDF soldiers went into the buildings they came under gunfire. Gazans were killed as well as an Israeli soldier. It was a difficult and dangerous rescue. The intelligence was gathered over several weeks. 

It was reported that Noa Argamani was held in the home of a journalist. Some Hebrew-language media reported that Noa was held at the home of Dr. Ahmed Aljamal and his son Abdallah. 

The stories claimed that Abdallah was a reporter for Qatari news network Al Jazeera. 

Guess where Noa Argamani was being held? At the home of "journalist" Abdallah al-Jamal right behind the opulent al-Danaf Hyper Mall in Nusseirat. Remember the car park at the back? One of the houses around there!#TheGazaYouDontSee
🎩 @Eyalo365 https://t.co/BYTibecKDf pic.twitter.com/ZgeMRzx87Y

— Imshin (@imshin) June 9, 2024

This is what Hamas does - it hides hostages among civilians. It uses Gazans as human shields. 

The reports base the claim on Rami Abdu, head of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, who tweeted that soldiers climbed into the Aljamals’ home during the raid and killed several members of the family, including Ahmed and Abdallah. He notes that Abdallah is a spokesman for the Hamas-run labor ministry in Gaza and has contributed to several news outlets in the past.

Naturally, there was much uproar that Noa was alleged to be held at the home of a journalist. But is it true? Al Jazeera denies that Abdallah worked for them. Remember, Al Jazeera was recently kicked out of Israel by the Israeli government. 

The Hamas propaganda machine went to work immediately after the rescue mission to accuse the IDF of killing civilians and raiding private homes. This spin was predicted.

IDF spokesperson says the hostages were held in CIVILIAN homes. Civilians knew they were there.

Can't wait to see the UN and Ham🫏 propaganda machine spin history into twistory.

Watch them condemn the rescue op as an attack on civilians in Gaza. Watch the media fall for it. pic.twitter.com/EEGqWv1m3Q

— dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ (@DahliaKurtz) June 8, 2024

Dr. Ahmed Aljamal, Abdallah. and Abdallah's wife were killed during Noa's rescue. 

Noa told a little of her story on Saturday. She was treated as a servant and told she was lucky that she was being held with them and not elsewhere. Let that sink in - a young woman was told she was lucky to be held hostage in that home, as she was treated as a servant. 

New testimony from Noa Argamani:

“I was held at a wealthy family's home in Gaza. They kept telling me, 'You should thank God you're with us; there are far worse places.'

While I was there, they would open the door without knocking whenever they wanted me to clean the house.… pic.twitter.com/UNtCSyD2VX

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 9, 2024

By Sunday evening, the IDF confirmed that three hostages were held at Aljamal's home. 

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sunday evening that three of the hostages rescued Saturday from captivity in the central Gaza town of Nuseirat, were being held at the home of Abdallah Aljamal, another dual loyalty Al Jazeera journalist.

“Following the completion of IDF and Shin Bet (ISA) examinations of reports on the subject, it can be confirmed that Abdallah Aljamal was an operative in the Hamas terrorist organization who held the hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv captive in his family home in Nuseirat,” the IDF said.

“The hostages were held captive by Abdallah Aljamal and members of his family in their home. This is further evidence of the deliberate use of civilian homes and buildings by the Hamas terrorist organization to hold Israeli hostages captive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli security forces will continue to make every effort to bring the hostages home.”

So, Abdallah is described as a journalist on the side of Hamas and a spokesperson for Hamas's Ministry of Labor. 

Was Ramy Abdul, chairman of the Geneva-based Euro-Med Monitor correct when he posted on X that Noa was held at Aljamal's home? There seems to be some confusion about where the four were held. Was Noa held at a separate home? 

It is unclear whether the hostages were being held at the Aljamals’ very home or in their vicinity, though Abdu’s tweet did mention an IDF incursion using a ladder into their window. When asked about the prospects of the Aljamal family hiding Israeli hostages in their home, Abdu claimed that “this should be addressed by Israeli officials,” claiming that at least seven other homes were documented as subject to the Israeli incursion.

Perhaps Noa will be able to tell her story as she recovers. 

In the meantime, American technological assistance is being credited during the rescue mission.

The operation was carried out in cooperation with the Israeli Yamam Counter Terror Unit and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).

“The US hostage cell [also] played a decisive role in freeing the hostages”, with “high-precision American technology that had not been used before in the process of freeing the hostages,” according to Galei Tzahal Israel Army Radio.

Gazans died because they held Israelis hostage in their homes, and then used them as human shields when the IDF came to rescue the hostages. It's simple - stop taking hostages, stop keeping them hidden among civilians, and release the hostages. 

I think Noa's story will get worse as we learn more, as the other three hostages' stories will, too. The important thing is that they were rescued alive and are back with their families. The confusion about who was held where complicates the story.

One of the Israeli Hostages that was Rescued yesterday during the Joint-Operation in Central Gaza, 26-Year-Old Noa Argamani was being held Captive in the Home of Abdallah Aljamal, a Photojournalist and Writer/Editor for both Al-Jazeera and the Palestinian Chronicle. During the… pic.twitter.com/1755PL8X9X

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 9, 2024