Hamas releases two Israeli women, US advises caution on Gaza invasion
Last edited Mon Oct 23, 2023, 04:43 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Reuters
October 23, 2023 4:38 PM EDT Updated 3 min ago
GAZA/WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas militant group said on Monday it had released two Israeli women on health grounds as sources said the United States had advised Israel to hold off on a ground assault in the Gaza Strip.
"We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds," Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the armed wing, said on Telegram. A source said they were elderly Israelis, identified by Israeli media as Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz. They were freed following the release of an American woman and her daughter on Friday. All four were among more than 200 people Hamas gunmen took hostage in an Oct. 7 cross-border assault in which they killed 1,400 people.
In public, the United States has stressed Israel's right to defend itself but two sources familiar with the matter said the White House, Pentagon and State Department have stepped up private appeals for caution in conversations with the Israelis. A U.S. priority is to gain time for negotiations to free other hostages, especially after Friday's unexpected release of Americans Judith and Natalie Raanan on Friday, said the sources, who spoke before the hostage releases were announced on Monday.
Asked about the possibility of a ceasefire, U.S. President Joe Biden said: ""We should have those hostages released and then we can talk." Israel's Channel 12 said on Monday that the third and fourth hostages had been released and that families had been informed. Egypt's Extra News TV showed footage of two captives being transferred to ambulances at Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-strikes-gaza-lebanon-overnight-netanyahu-convenes-generals-2023-10-22/
Article updated.
Original article/headline -
October 23, 2023 3:12 PM EDT Updated 4 min ago
GAZA/JERUSALEM, Oct 23 (Reuters) - The armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas militant group said on Monday it had released two more female civilian captives on health grounds in response to Egyptian-Qatari mediation efforts, and a source told Reuters they were elderly Israelis.
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the armed wing, said in a statement on Telegram: "We decided to release them for humanitarian and poor health grounds." It named the two as Nurit Yitzhak and Yocheved Lifshitz. The armed wing released an American mother and daughter, Judith and Natalie Raanan, on Friday, nearly two weeks after Hamas gunmen carried out an Oct. 7 cross-border assault, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
Israel's Channel 12 said on Monday that the third and fourth hostages had been released and that families had been informed. Egypt's state news agency said the two had arrived at the Rafah crossing from Gaza to Egypt. There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.
Israel pounded hundreds of targets in Gaza from the air on Monday as its soldiers fought Hamas militants during raids into the besieged Palestinian strip deaths are soaring and civilians are trapped in harrowing conditions.
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