Israel depended on US intelligence to discover the hostages’ precise location, the Post said. According to the newspaper, that dependence underscored Israel’s overreliance in recent years on technology at the expense of traditional intelligence-gathering methods — specifically human intelligence — as exemplified by Israel’s failure to put together a spy network in Gaza.

Plans were made to deploy troops from the Joint Special Operations Command — an elite military force experienced in rescuing hostages — to rescue the American hostages.

The United States made plans early in the war for a potential operation to rescue eight American-Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing current and former US and Israeli officials.

Washington Post report

Further reading

The Palestine Red Crescent Society warns of the dangers posed by the use of a humanitarian aid truck as cover for military operations.

Palestine Chronicle report on Aid truck misuse.

The utilisation of the US aid pier in the Nuseirat hostage rescue Massacre

British SAS involved with drone power to gather Intel in Gaza.