Hamas announced on Monday that they had released two Israeli hostages who had been...
Digital Desk: Hamas announced on Monday that they had released two Israeli hostages who had been held in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian group cited "humanitarian reasons" for their decision.
The released hostages have been identified as Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85. These elderly women were taken hostage from their homes in the kibbutz of Nir Oz near the Gaza border. However, their husbands, who were also captured, were not part of this release.
Hamas justified their decision by stating, "We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds... Despite that, the enemy refused to receive them last Friday."
Notably, there was no official announcement from the Israeli side regarding this release.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) played a crucial role in facilitating the release. The ICRC released a statement saying, "Our role as a neutral intermediary makes this work possible, and we are ready to facilitate any future release." They also transported the hostages out of Gaza.
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Reports suggest that the released captives have arrived at the Egyptian Rafah Crossing, with Egyptian efforts being credited for their release. The reports also emphasized that Tel Aviv was not directly involved in this process.
Hamas had previously released American hostages, Judith and Natalie Raanan, last Friday. These releases followed an October 7 cross-border assault by Hamas gunmen. According to the Israeli army's estimate, there are still at least 220 Israeli citizens in Hamas captivity.
In response to questions about a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized the importance of the hostages' release. He stated, "We should have those hostages released, and then we can talk." In the midst of these developments, Israel escalated its air raids on Gaza, with Gaza's health ministry reporting 436 casualties from bombardments over the past 24 hours.
The release of these Israeli hostages has raised hopes for potential diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between the conflicting parties.
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