How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages in Gaza

They arrived in the middle of the day, when the squat concrete buildings of the Nuseirat refugee camp are stifling and the narrow streets outside are filled with people. No one suspected a thing until the shots rang out.

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The Israeli raid caught everyone off guard, from the Hamas militants guarding four hostages in two different buildings to the thousands of civilians who soon found themselves running for their lives through a blistering crossfire.

By the time it was over, four Israeli hostages had been brought home alive and mostly unscathed, at least physically, and at least 274 Palestinians, and an Israeli commando, had been killed.

For Israel, it was the most successful operation of the eight-month war, bringing nationwide elation.

Here’s how it unfolded, according to the Israeli military and Palestinian witnesses.