Gaza, MINA – Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades has released two captives from Gaza after Qatari and Egyptian mediation, spokesman Abu Obaida says, Al Jazeera reported on Monday.
In a statement on Telegram, Abu Obaida said the pair is the same that the group tried to release on Friday, but Israel had refused to take them.
“We decided to release them for humanitarian and medical reasons,” the statement said.
The women were identified as Nurit Yitzhak (also known as Nurit Cooper), 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, with video released by the resistance of the ladies being handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and then footage broadcast on Egyptian state television showing them being transported onto ambulance and cared for by Egyptian medical crews.
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The women appeared to be talking to health workers and one of the ladies turned back, shook hands with the member of the resistance who was escorting her to the ICRC and said ‘shalom’.
The ICRC announced on X, formerly Twitter: “We facilitated the release of 2 more hostages, transporting them out of #Gaza this evening. Our role as a neutral intermediary makes this work possible & we are ready to facilitate any future release. We hope that they will soon be back with their loved ones.”
More than 200 hostages are still being held in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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