A daring Israeli raid that secured the release of four hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists may have amounted to a war crime because of the number of Palestinians killed in the mission, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday.

On Saturday, Israeli commandos launched the raid inside the Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza where the four hostages were being held. Rescued were Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrei Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41. They were abducted from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry claimed at least 270 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed in the crossfire. Israeli officials put the number at fewer than 100.

“We are profoundly shocked at the impact on civilians of the Israeli forces’ operations in Nuseirat,” said Jeremy Laurence, a U.N.  spokesman. “The manner in which the raid was conducted in such a densely populated area seriously calls into question whether the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution — as set out under the law of war — were respected by Israeli forces.”

Mr. Laurence added that the U.N.’s human rights office is “deeply distressed” that Palestinian armed groups continue to hold hostages, many of them civilians. Such an act is prohibited by international law.

“By holding hostages in such densely populated areas, the armed groups doing so are putting the lives of Palestinian civilians, as well as the hostages themselves, at added risk from the hostilities,” Mr. Laurence said.

Volker Turk, the U.N.’s human rights commissioner, supports the Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire that would result in the release of hostages, the return of dead hostages and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, Mr. Laurence said.

“An immediate priority must be to ensure the full and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to the desperate population of Gaza,” Mr. Laurence said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.