In Israel’s latest bombing of Gaza, 274 people lost their lives and more than 400 were injured

The Israeli army bombing the Gaza Strip on Sunday, a day after freeing four hostages in a complex operation in a refugee camp. The attack, according to the Islamist movement Hamas, left 274 dead.

In Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian territory, four members of a family were killed and others injured when a bombing hit their homereported Al Ahli Hospital. Witnesses indicated that Helicopters fired east of the Al Bureij refugee camp, while artillery attacked in Deir al Balah, in the center, and Rafah, in the south.

The release of the four Israeli hostages on Saturday strengthened the military strategy of the prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces international and internal pressure for his handling of the conflict. The operation, considered difficult, was carried out in Nuseirat, central Gaza, and resulted in the release of Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, all of them kidnapped on October 7 during the Nova electronic music festival in southern Israel.

The UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, expressed relief at the release of the hostages, but regretted that it came “at the cost of at least 200 Palestinians, including children, and more than 400 injuredFor his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanked the numerous messages of support and affirmed that Israel will continue to act with determination and strength.

In Nuseirat, residents described desperation after the Israeli bombardment. Khalil Al Tahrawi, from his shelter, recounted hearing gunshots and shells, and how the Israeli planes began to to bomb to hide the extraction operation. Images showed charred vehicles, razed buildings and men trying to rescue the injured from the rubble.

The war, which began Oct. 7 with a Hamas attack in southern Israel, has left more than 37,000 dead in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Furthermore, the population of Loop faces the risk of famine due to lack of supplies.

Diplomatic efforts for a truce remain stalled. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, will visit Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan to promote a ceasefire proposal recently presented by President Joe Biden.