Israel entered refugee camp in humanitarian aid truck to rescue hostages, claim sources; IDF denies

Israel's special forces, in the process of retriving four hostages from the central Gaza Strip, entered the Nuseirat refugee camp in a humanitarian aid truck, Turkiye's Andalou Agency said citing local Palestinian sources.

The Palestinian death toll in the hostage rescue raid has hit 274.

"The Israeli special forces used a closed transport truck and a civilian vehicle in the infiltration operation to retrieve the hostages," the agency reported sources say, who added, "These transport vehicles are widespread in the Gaza Strip and are used to transport humanitarian aid during the Israeli war."

The agency, citing witnesses, said that Israeli military vehicles unexpectedly advanced into areas east and northwest of the Nuseirat camp, which coincided with heavy artillery bombardment which targeted large areas of the camp.

Meanwhile, Axios reported citing a US official that a cell there assisted the Israeli operation. The Washington Post reported US intelligence aided Israel's hostage rescue mission.

An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, however, denied this calling it 'lies spread by Hamas media'. Taking to X, he said "Our special forces did not enter the Nuseirat area via any car or aid truck."

At the same time, he denied reports that a US floating dock was used in the operation.

Israel continued pounding Gaza on Sunday, a day after this raid, while Palestinians remained in shock over the death toll - the worst in a 24-hour period of the war for months. There were many women and children also among the dead, Reuters reported Palestinian medics say.

Israel currently stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ruled for it to halt operations in Rafah. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not paid heed, and with the recent resignation of centrist Benny Gantz, a key member of his war cabinet, Netanyahu will be increasingly reliant on his far-right coalition partners.