There were emotional reunions and scenes of jubilation in Israel on Saturday, after Israeli troops rescued four hostages, eight months after they were taken to Gaza by Hamas-linked militants.

They were rescued after what Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as a “complex daytime operation” in central Gaza.

At least 210 Palestinians were killed in air strikes in the same area, according to Gazan authorities, but it was not immediately clear if the hostage rescue and the Israeli air assault were part of the same operation.

About 116 hostages remain in Gaza – the army estimates 41 of those are dead.

All four hostages rescued on Saturday were kidnapped on October 7 during the Nova music festival held in Israel near the Gaza border. At least 360 festival goers were killed by Hamas gunmen.

Here’s what else we know about the four hostages.

Noa Argamani

The 26-year-old became one of the faces of the October 7 attacks.

She was filmed being taken away from the music festival by Hamas fighters on the back of a motorbike.

The video, in which she screamed “Don’t kill me!” was widely shared online.

She was taken alongside her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, who is believed to remain a hostage in Gaza.

Ms Argamani’s Chinese-Israeli mother has brain cancer, and in videos spoke of her despair at the possibility of never seeing her daughter again.

Upon her release, Ms Argamani was seen embracing her father.

She also had a phone call with Israeli president Isaac Herzog, telling him she was “so happy to be here”.

Almog Meir Jan

Almog Meir Jan was pictured alongside Israeli troops, smiling and with two thumbs up after he was rescued on Saturday.

Later, he was shown embracing his mother. 

The 22-year-old lives near Tel Aviv, and left a voice message on October 7 on his mother’s phone.

In it he said: “Mum, rockets are [falling] everywhere. I don’t know what is going on. Mum, I love you.”

He was supposed to start a new job the day after he was taken hostage.

Andrey Kozlov

Andrey Kozlov is a Russian-Israeli, who was working as a security guard at the music festival.

During the attack, he was in touch with his father and friends, saying he had nowhere to hide.

He was born in Saint Petersburg, but had dreamed for years of moving to Israel.

The 27-year-old relocated to Israel in 2022, and was living south of Tel Aviv.

Shlomi Ziv

Shlomi Ziv was also part of the security team at the music festival.

The 41-year-old lived with his wife near the Lebanese border, working as a wholesale distributor.

It has been reported Mr Ziv helped people escape from the Nova music festival before being taken hostage.

One of his two sisters spoke to him on the morning of the attack. 

He told her there had been shooting and rocket fire.

Three years ago, he decided to pursue his dream of studying interior design. 

AFP/ABC