Moment 250 hostages are rescued after Israeli soldiers retake military post

Bodies can be seen on the floor of a dark room in a video clip showing the astonishing moment hostages are rescued by Israeli soldiers.

Israel’s army has shared footage showing how its soldiers took back control of a checkpoint overrun by Hamas, and set the 250 hostages free on Saturday.

It’s unknown whether the bodies seen on the floor in the video taken at the Sufa checkpoint are hostages or terrorists.

The clip comes from body cameras worn by Israeli soldiers in the Flotilla 13 elite unit and released on Thursday evening.

The naval unit, which is equivalent to the US army’s naval SEALS, specialises in counter terrorism.

The video also shows a group of people, presumably hostages, standing in a different room as soldiers enter.

Bodies can be seen on the floor in a dark room in the video (Picture: Twitter/Israel Defense Forces)

The identities of the hostages taken by Hamas have not yet been shared (Picture: Twitter/Israel Defense Forces)

One of the officers in the video can be heard shouting: ‘Shayetet, Shayetet, stay in the bunker, we’re coming.’

They are using the Hebrew name for their unit.

The nationalities and identities of the hostages released have not yet been shared. Around 20 US nationals that were abducted remain unaccounted for.

Just hours after the video of the hostage rescue was released, Israel’s army directed residents in Gaza City to evacuate ‘for their own safety and protection’.

It comes ahead of an expected Israeli ground offensive.

This is after a UN spokesperson claimed the military directed the evacuation of all of northern Gaza, which is home to about 1.1 million people, within 24 hours.

Israeli troops took back control of the Sufa checkpoint after launching an attack on Hamas terrorists (Picture: Twitter/IDF)

It would mean evacuating nearly half of the population in the territory in one day, which the UN claimed is ‘impossible’.

In the assault on the checkpoint, which sits along the southern border with Gaza, close to the Egyptian border, soldiers can be seen moving door to door and facing a lot of resistance.

The Israeli troops are throwing grenades into rooms to get the Hamas terrorists out, and shell casings from guns can be seen flying around.

The IDF said it killed around 60 Hamas terrorists and arrested 26, including deputy commander of the Hamas southern Naval Division, Muhammad Abu A’ali.

A man, who seems to be naked, can be seen being led out and is then handcuffed. He has blood all over his back and shoulders.

President Biden said they are working to bring the US hostages home (Picture: Twitter/Israel Defense Forces)

The death toll is now 1,200 in Israel and 1,500 in Gaza.

It’s believed Hamas has taken 150 people hostage, and Americans and Brits are likely to be among them.

They are threatening to execute the hostages if Israel launches a ground invasion of Gaza.

US president Joe Biden has spoken out to call the Hamas attack on Israel the ‘deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust’ and a campaign of ‘pure cruelty’.

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President Biden said: ‘We’re working on every aspect of the hostage crisis in Israel, including deploying experts to advise and assist with recovery efforts.

‘Now, the press are going to shout to me: what are you doing to bring these folks home? If I told you, I wouldn’t be able to get them home. 

‘Folks, there’s a lot we’re doing, a lot we’re doing.

‘I have not given up hope of bringing these folks home. 

‘But the idea that I’m going to stand here before you and tell you what I’m doing is bizarre. So, I hope you understand how bizarre I think it would be to try to answer that question.’

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