Israel-Hamas War: Israeli troops push deeper into Gaza and free Hamas captive, as Palestinian civilian toll rises

Israeli troops and tanks pushed deeper into Gaza, freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants and advancing on two sides of the territory’s main city. The UN and medical staff warned that airstrikes have hit closer to hospitals where tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter alongside thousands of wounded.

The military said a female soldier captured during Hamas’ brutal October 7 incursion was rescued in Gaza — the first since the weeks-long war began. It provided few details, but said in a statement that Private Ori Megidish “is doing well” and had met with her family.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed her home, saying the “achievement” by Israel’s security forces “illustrates our commitment to free all the hostages”.

He also rejected calls for a ceasefire to facilitate the release of captives or end the war, which he has said will be long and difficult. “Calls for a ceasefire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas,” he told a press conference. “That will not happen.”

An Israeli man checks the damage of his neighbour's house after it was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Netivot, Israel. Photo / AP

He also said he has no plans to resign in the face of mounting anger over the failure of Israel’s vaunted security forces to prevent the worst surprise attack on the country in a half century.

Hamas and other militant groups are believed to be holding some 240 captives, including men, women and children. Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure to secure their release even as Israel wages a punishing war it says is aimed at crushing Hamas and ending its 16-year rule over the territory.

Hamas, which has released four hostages, has said it would let the others go in return for thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, including many implicated in deadly attacks on Israelis. Israel has dismissed the offer, and Netanyahu said the ground invasion “creates the possibility” of getting the hostages out, adding that Hamas will “only do it under pressure”.

Hamas has released a short video purporting to show three other female captives. One of the women delivers a brief statement — likely under duress — criticising Israel’s response to the hostage crisis.

The military has been vague about its operations inside Gaza, including the location and number of troops. Israel has declared a new “phase” in the war but stopped short of declaring an all-out ground invasion, even as it has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border.

Palestinians evacuate survivors of the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah. Photo / AP

The movements of recent days, including larger ground operations both north and east of Gaza City, point to a focus on the city. Israel says much of Hamas’ forces and militant infrastructure, including hundreds of kilometres of tunnels, are in Gaza City, which before the war was home to more than 650,000 people.

Though Israel ordered Palestinians to flee the north, where Gaza City is located, and move south, hundreds of thousands remain, in part because Israel has also bombarded targets in so-called safe zones. Around 117,000 displaced people hoping to stay safe from strikes are staying in hospitals in northern Gaza, alongside thousands of patients and staff, according to UN figures.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, says nearly 672,000 Palestinians are sheltering in its schools and other facilities across Gaza, which have reached four times their capacity.

The death toll among Palestinians has passed 8300, mostly women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said. The figure is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence. More than 1.4 million people in Gaza have fled their homes.

More than 1400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during Hamas’ initial attack, also an unprecedented figure.