The United States provided some intelligence that helped rescue four Israeli hostages on Saturday, which led to the death and injury of nearly a thousand Palestinian citizens, according to a number of people familiar with the matter, according to the Washington Post.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Sunday that the number of dead in the Israeli raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp had risen to 274 Palestinians, and more than 698 wounded, most of whom were children and women. The raid launched by Israel with direct American assistance on Saturday, one of the bloodiest raids of the war, on the central camp in Gaza, freed four hostages. “Scenes from Gaza showed roads filled with debris and seriously injured Palestinians, some without limbs,” according to the newspaper.

According to the Washington Post, an American team stationed in Israel provided the information, which it had been collecting and monitoring since the beginning of the war.

This team consists of special operations and intelligence personnel working at the embassy in Jerusalem, and has been in Israel since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza last October. Since then, it has shared with its Israeli counterparts information about the possible location of the hostages, obtained from US drone surveillance over Gaza, communications interception and other sources, people familiar with the matter told the Post.

In turn, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement, “The United States supports all efforts aimed at securing the release of hostages still being held by Hamas, including American citizens.” He pointed out that this work includes ongoing negotiations and "other means."

Axios and the New York Times also reported on US participation in the rescue operation.

Hamas and other militants took nearly 250 hostages during their surprise attack across the border into Israel on October 7, which left 1,100 people dead, including 311 soldiers and dozens of workers in the Israeli intelligence services, according to what the Israeli Ministry of Defense stated. The Palestinians released at least 112 people, as part of an agreement negotiated between Israel and Hamas in late January.

It is believed that fewer than 80 of the hostages remaining in Gaza are still alive. Eight US citizens are believed to be among those still in captivity, including the remains of three who died.

The daytime mission on Saturday was part of a broader Israeli operation in central Gaza that local health authorities said resulted in the deaths of at least 274 Palestinians. Israeli officials described the rescue operation as taking weeks and being enabled by “accurate intelligence.” Daniel Hagari, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said that two buildings were targeted and that the personnel involved were shot.

Washington maintains what one US official described on Saturday as a “very deep partnership” with Israel in its efforts to rescue the hostages.

Days after the start of the Gaza war, the Pentagon acknowledged the presence of a “small number” of American military personnel at the embassy in Jerusalem to assist the Israeli government with planning and intelligence support.

US intelligence analysts are also helping Israeli officials with some of their work mapping the vast network of tunnels that Hamas has built under Gaza, contributing to powerful analytical techniques that integrate bits of information, according to officials familiar with the work.