Four hostages kidnapped by Hamas from the Nova music festival on 7th October have been rescued in a daylight raid in central Gaza, as scores of Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in the same area.

Noa Argamani, 26, Almog Meir Jan, 22, Andrei Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 41, were freed during a “high-risk, complex mission” from two separate buildings in the Nuseirat area, the Israel Defence Forces said.

The IDF said the released hostages were all in good health. They were reunited with their families at a medical centre near Tel Aviv.

Dozens of Palestinians, including children, were killed by Israeli forces in the area where the operation took place.

Two hospitals in Gaza said they had recorded 70 bodies while Hamas’s government media office said at least 210 people had been killed.

Israel Defence Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said Cogat, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian policy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, estimated there had been fewer than 100 casualties.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Hugo Bachega.

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