Hamas frees two American hostages

Friday, 20 October 2023, 21:09

The Palestinian movement Hamas on Friday released two US citizens it had held hostage after an attack on Israel on 7 October.

Source: Hamas’ statement spread on social media; CNN; The Times of Israel, citing American and Israeli sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Hamas claims that it has decided to release two hostages after negotiations with Qatar (where the leadership of the political wing of Hamas is based).

Quote: "In response to Qatari efforts, Al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless," the statement says.

Media sources report that a woman and her daughter were released from the Gaza Strip "for humanitarian reasons" due to the mother's poor health. They have been handed over to the Red Cross and will soon leave via Egypt.

The Israeli media wrote that the release of the hostages was a unilateral move by Hamas, and Israel did not offer anything in return.

Neither Washington nor Jerusalem officially commented on the situation.

According to the Israeli side, more than 200 people are being held hostage by Hamas – citizens of Israel, as well as foreigners, mostly with a second Israeli citizenship.

Background: Türkiye previously announced its participation in the negotiations to release the hostages, and the United States did not rule out the possibility of involving the military to free the Americans from the Gaza Strip.

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