Three hostages rescued during a deadly Israeli military operation on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza were held captive by a journalist, the Israel Defense Forces IDF alleged Sunday, without providing evidence to support their claim. In a statement, the IDF claimed freed hostages Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv were held by journalist Abdallah Aljamal and his family members at their home in the central Gaza camp.

The three men, who were kidnapped by Hamas militants from the Nova music festival on October 7, were rescued after being held captive for 246 days, in an IDF special operation on Saturday along with a fourth hostage, Noa Argamani.There are varying reports on the number of Palestinians killed during the operation. The latest figures from Gazan authorities say 274 Palestinians were killed and 698 injured which would mark one of the deadliest days in months for people living in Gaza.The IDF has disputed those numbers, saying it estimated the number of casualties from the operation was “under 100 CNN cannot independently verify either side’s figures.

Aljamal was killed in the IDF operation along with his wife and father, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor chairman Ramy Abdu, citing initial testimony gathered by the group documenting the IDF’s alleged killings in the Nuseirat camp on Saturday. Aljamal lived on the first floor of a multi-story building, according to Euro-Med. The IDF said the hostages were found on the third floor. The allegations come a month after Israel expelled the Qatar-based network from the country under a new wartime law that allows the Israeli government to ban foreign media it deems harmful to its security. In a statement Sunday, Al Jazeera called Israel’s allegations “completely unfounded” and “a continuation of the process of slander and misinformation aimed at harming Al Jazeera’s reputation, professionalism, and independence.”

(CCN)

(From left, the rescued hostages Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov.) …[+]