Nearly a week and a half after four Israeli hostages were successfully rescued in Operation Arnon, residents at Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp are still in shock. This isn’t only because of the significant destruction left in the wake of the daring operation but also from the fact their neighbors — a journalist and his doctor father — were holding three of the hostages in a small, dark room in their apartment.
In a Wall Street Journal report, residents of the Nuseirat camp expressed their astonishment that Abdallah Aljamal and his father Ahmad were the ones holding the three hostages.
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Shlomi Ziv, Andrey Kozlov, Noa Argamani and Almog Meir Jan
(Photo: REUTERS/Marko Djurica, Maayan Toaf/GPO, IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Ahmad Aljamal was a well-known figure in the community. He worked as a doctor in a public clinic in the Nuseirat camp and ran his own private clinic in the afternoons, where residents would come for private procedures such as circumcisions. Aljamal Sr. also served as an imam in the local mosque and, according to the residents, had a pleasant voice.
It was revealed that Aljamal would return to the apartment he shared with his son, daughter-in-law and their children daily, where Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan were held.
The Aljamals were known for their affiliation with Hamas, according to residents who spoke to the Journal. However, only a selected few knew that the hostages were being held inside the house. The hostages reported they could hear Abdallah, his wife and their children going about their daily lives while they were confined in the small, dark room.
According to one of his neighbors, Ahmad Aljamal acted as usual during the ongoing war. He would go to his clinics, attend the mosque and shop for groceries. His son, Abdallah, was seen less frequently.
"Dr. Ahmad was the one who circumcised my three boys," Ali Bkhit, a social media consultant from Nuseirat, told the newspaper. " When I dealt with him, he was a nice character; his smile never left his face."
Bkhit said he grew up listening to Aljamal’s voice in the mosque and was surprised to hear the family, originally from Ramla in central Israel, was responsible for holding hostages. He didn’t expect Aljamals to be involved in the war in any way.
During the rescue operation, Abdallah, his father Ahmad and his wife Fatima were killed. Abdallah and Fatima's children survived, but the family refused to cooperate or speak with the Journal.
According to the paper, Noa Argamani was held just a few houses away from the Aljamal family home. The family that held her, according to locals and an Israeli source, was the Abu Nar family — another family with close ties to Hamas. However, the outlet didn’t provide much detail about the family.
The Abu Nars were also killed in the operation to rescue Argamani, who was carried out by the Border Police’s National Counter-Terrorism Unit (Yamam) forces that stormed the building. Residents added the Abu Nars were considered much less known in the neighborhood than the Aljamals.
What has been occupying the residents of Nuseirat since the operation, which included airstrikes and close-combat clashes in the camp’s crowded streets, is Hamas' decision to hold the hostages in an above-ground apartment in a bustling civilian area.
Some residents expressed surprise learning the hostages were held above ground, as it’s usually very difficult to keep secrets in such a densely populated neighborhood. Even a cough, according to the residents, can be heard between buildings’ walls.
Other residents were angered that Hamas had put countless civilians in harm's way since any Israeli action in the crowded streets could result in a large number of casualties.
Some Nuseirat residents said Hamas should hold the hostages in underground tunnels, while others suggested they should be returned to Israel as part of a deal to end the war. According to the Journal, the snag in negotiations is causing growing frustration among residents across the Palestinian territory.
One resident went as far as to call on Hamas to provide residents with a map of secure areas to stay at. “Hamas should give us a map of the safe zones we can stay in because if we knew there were hostages in the neighborhood, we would have looked for another place,” said Mustafa Muhammad, 36, who left Gaza City for Nuseirat at the start of the war with his wife and young daughter. When the operation to rescue the hostages began, Mohammed and his family, according to the report, found themselves trapped — with no idea where to go.
Last week, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor Chairman Ramy Abdu claimed testimonies from the rescue operation indicated forces that entered the building used a ladder to enter the Aljamal residence.
"The forces eliminated Fatima on the stairs, then entered the house and eliminated her husband, the journalist Abdullah al-Jamal, 36, and his father Ahmad, 74 — in front of their grandchildren. The army also shot Zaynab, 27, Ahmad's daughter, injuring her," Abdu claimed.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed the younger Aljamal was a Hamas operative. Hamas' media department referred to him as an "editor and journalist for the Palestine Now agency."
Aljamal’s Facebook page also revealed he worked as a spokesperson for Hamas’ Labor Ministry. On October 7, he posted a message thanking Hamas. "Praise be to Allah. Allah, this is your promised victory."