U.S. intelligence aided Israeli hostage rescue in Gaza

That staff, composed of particular operations and intelligence personnel understanding of the embassy in Jerusalem, has been in Israel because the battle started in October. Since then, it has shared with Israeli counterparts details about hostages’ potential location gleaned from U.S. drone surveillance over Gaza, communications intercepts and different sources, mentioned the individuals accustomed to the matter.

“The USA is supporting all efforts to safe the discharge of hostages nonetheless held by Hamas, together with Americans,” nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned in an announcement. He famous this work contains ongoing negotiations and “different means.”

Axios and the New York Occasions additionally reported on U.S. involvement within the rescue operation.

Hamas and different militants took roughly 250 hostages amid their brazen cross-border assault into Israel on Oct. 7, a grotesque assault that left 1,200 useless. No less than 112 individuals have been freed, both as a part of a negotiated deal between Israel and Hamas late final 12 months or by coordinated rescue operations.

Of the hostages who stay in Gaza, fewer than 80 are believed to be alive. Eight American residents are considered amongst these nonetheless in captivity, together with the stays of three who’re useless.

Saturday’s daytime mission was a part of a broader Israeli operation in central Gaza that native well being authorities mentioned left not less than 210 Palestinians useless. Israeli officers described the rescue operation as weeks within the making and enabled by “exact intelligence.” Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israel Protection Forces, mentioned two buildings had been focused and that the personnel concerned took hearth.

Washington maintains what one U.S. official characterised Saturday as a “very deep partnership” with Israel on its hostage-rescue efforts.

Days after the Gaza battle started, the Pentagon acknowledged {that a} “small quantity” of U.S. army personnel had been on the embassy in Jerusalem to help the Israeli authorities by planning and intelligence assist.

U.S. intelligence analysts are also serving to Israeli officers in a few of their work to map out the in depth community of tunnels that Hamas has constructed beneath Gaza, contributing highly effective analytic applied sciences that fuse fragments of data, in line with officers with data of that work.

U.S. protection officers have mentioned that whereas American army personnel have been advising the Israelis, they haven’t accompanied Israel’s army on any missions within the Gaza Strip. President Biden has been adamant that he won’t put American “boots on the bottom” there.

Shane Harris contributed to this report.