Three of the four Israelis rescued in a daring military raid on Saturday were found in the home of former Al Jazeera journalist and Hamas labor ministry spokesperson, Abdallah Aljamal.
Security officials in Israel released a statement after the operation confirming that Aljamal was detaining the individuals alongside his family at his private residence in Nuseirat.
“This is further proof that the Hamas terrorist organization uses the civilian population as a human shield,” the comments read.
Aljamal, who was killed in the incident, had previously been employed as a columnist for the Qatar-based news outlet as late as 2019 and was reporting on the Gaza war for The Palestine Chronical at the time of his death.
A spokesperson for Al Jazeera denied that he was ever an employee of their organization.
The freed hostages were identified as Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41, who were all abducted from the Supernova music festival during the October 7 rampage in southern Israel.
A fourth captive and Supernova attendee, Noa Argamani, 26, was found alive in a nearby location.
Israel reported one casualty in the operation, Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, who succumbed to gunfire-related injuries suffered during a skirmish with Hamas terrorists.
The report comes as last week a court in Tel Aviv upheld a national security law that banned Al Jazeera from broadcasting in the Jewish state.
In his ruling, the court’s deputy president, Shai Yaniv, found that the network incited violence, reported on IDF troop positions, and disseminated information on effective ways to attack Israeli tanks.
On Sunday, the prohibition was extended for an additional 45 days by the country’s communications ministry.
Related Story: Tel Aviv Court Upholds Israel’s Temporary Ban on Al Jazeera for “Close Connection” to Hamas
