Hamas has released two women held captive by them in Gaza, according to the Palestinian group and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), reports Al Jazeera.
The women hostages, 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper were released following mediation from Qatar and Egypt, said a spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas.
In a statement on Monday, spokesperson Abu Obeida said on the group’s Telegram channel that the captives had been released for “humanitarian reasons and poor health grounds,” reports Al Jazeera.
The release of the two hostages was confirmed by the ICRC. “We hope they will soon be back with their loved ones,” it said on X, formerly Twitter.
Hamas launched an unprecedented and highly coordinated attack on Israeli settlements on October 7, taking more than 200 people, including Israelis and dual nationals, captive.
The Palestinian armed group killed more than 1,400 people, many of them civilians, during the attack, according to Israeli authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza. Human rights groups, international organisations and families of those held captive have also called for their immediate release.
Hamas had earlier, released two women with United States citizenship, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, following mediation efforts by Qatar.
A Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson said that the release came “after many days of continuous communication” with all involved parties, reports Al Jazeera.
Obeida had earlier stated that Hamas offered to free two additional captives alongside Judith and Natalie last Friday, but were rebuffed by Israeli authorities.
However, Israel has called that claim “mendacious propaganda” and suggested that Hamas was seeking to improve its image as harrowing stories of Hamas gunmen killing Israeli civilians, are met with strong condemnation around the world.
The Israeli military is preparing for an expected ground invasion of the besieged Gaza Strip soon. The US is pressing Israel for a delay in ground assault in order to allow for more time to secure the release of those held captive, according to a report in the New York Times.
Israel has been accused of showing disregard for the lives of Palestinian civilians in its response to the Hamas attack by cutting off access to food, water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.
The relentless campaign of air strikes has resulted in the destruction of entire neighbourhoods and exacerbated the already dire humanitarian conditions in the region.
More than 5,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli bombardment, according to Palestinian authorities.