Israel announced on Saturday that it had rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in an attack led by Hamas on October 7, in the largest hostage recovery operation since the war with Hamas began in Gaza.

Fierce fighting broke out in central Gaza, where the hostages were rescued, and at least 150 people, including children, were killed in multiple attacks on Saturday as people fled in search of safety, according to the Gaza health ministry.

The army said it rescued Noa Arghamani (25 years old); Almog Meir Gan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Zeif (40 years old) in two separate locations during a complex daytime special operation in the heart of Nuseirat in central Gaza.

Arghamani had been one of the most widely known hostages since her kidnapping from a music festival in southern Israel. The video of her kidnapping was among the first to emerge, and images of her terrified face went viral, as Arghamani was held between two men on a motorcycle, her arm extended and the other raised as she screamed "Don't kill me!"

Her mother, Liura, is suffering from stage four brain cancer, and in April, she released a video pleading to see her daughter before her death.

Hamas killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 hostages during the October 7 attack, which led to the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas. About half of them were released under a week-long ceasefire in November. Israel says that more than 130 hostages are still held, and it is believed that about a quarter of them have died, deepening divisions in the country over the best way to bring them home.

The rescue operation comes as international pressure mounts on Israel to curb civilian bloodshed in its war in Gaza, which entered its eighth month on Friday with more than 36,700 Palestinians killed, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. In an effort to achieve a breakthrough in the seemingly stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to the Middle East next week.

Palestinians are facing widespread famine as the war has largely disrupted the flow of food, medicine, and other supplies. United Nations agencies say that more than a million people in Gaza may face the highest level of famine by mid-July.

Saturday's operation marks the largest recovery of live hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total number of rescued captives to seven.

Two men were rescued in February when forces stormed a heavily guarded apartment in a crowded town, and a woman was rescued after the October attack. The Israeli government has said that Israeli forces have recovered at least 16 bodies of hostages from Gaza so far.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described the rescue operation that took place on Saturday as a "heroic operation," and said the army would continue fighting until all hostages are returned.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing increasing pressure to end the fighting in Gaza, as many Israelis urge him to adopt the agreement announced by U.S. President Joe Biden last month, but allies on the far right threaten the collapse of his government if he does so.

Arghamani spoke by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Netanyahu. In a voice message released by the government, Netanyahu was heard asking Arghamani how she felt, saying he had not given up on the hostages. She told him she was "extremely excited," stating that she hadn't heard Hebrew in a long time.

Her friend, Yonatan Levi, reacted to the news with disbelief. "Amazing. I don't know what to say. So excited like this crazy reality. Levi said, "So happy now and uplifting."

The rescue operation comes as Israel intensifies its operations in central Gaza, where the hostages were rescued.

The bodies of dozens of Palestinians killed on Saturday were transferred to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where Associated Press reporters accounted for their bodies. They later witnessed more injured and dead arriving at the hospital from Nuseirat and areas of Eastern Deir al-Balah, as smoke columns rose in the distance.

On Thursday, an Israeli airstrike hit a UN-run school complex in Nuseirat, killing more than 33 people inside the school, including three women and nine children.

Israel claimed that about 30 militants were inside the school at the time and released the names of 17 militants it said were killed in the strike on Friday. However, only nine of those names matched the death records from the hospital morgue. One of the alleged militants was an eight-year-old boy, according to hospital records.