Gaza: In a recent development, the Palestinian group Hamas released two elderly Israeli hostages, Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz, late last evening. The release, facilitated through mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt, was attributed to "compelling humanitarian" reasons.

A video released by Hamas depicted the moment when the two hostages were handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Notably, before departing, one of the released hostages extended her hand to a masked Hamas operative, exchanging a greeting of 'shalom'.

Following their release, Cooper and Lifshitz were airlifted to an Israeli hospital, where they are set to be reunited with their families on Tuesday. This development comes after Hamas had earlier released two American nationals, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan. Hamas announced its collaboration with Qatar and Egypt in efforts to release its "civilian" hostages, hinting at the possibility of further releases in the near future.

The recent hostage situation unfolded on October 7 when Hamas operatives stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, resulting in the capture of 222 hostages. The Israeli government emphasized the urgency of the situation, as many captives had medical conditions requiring immediate care, and some were elderly. Reports have emerged suggesting that Hamas might release an additional 50 hostages in the coming days.

Addressing the ongoing crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Monday that discussions about a Gaza ceasefire could only occur if Hamas releases all hostages captured from Israel during the October 7 attack. "We should have those hostages released, and then we can talk," President Biden affirmed during a White House event when questioned about supporting a potential "hostages-for-ceasefire" arrangement.

The October 7 attack resulted in a toll, with at least 1,400 people, primarily civilians, losing their lives, many on the first day of the raid. Subsequently, Israeli forces conducted relentless bombardments across the Gaza Strip, leading to the deaths of more than 5,000 Palestinians, predominantly civilians, in the ongoing conflict.

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New Delhi (PTI): A 40-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly ramming a car into a police barricade and injuring a constable in northwest Delhi's Rohini, police said on Friday.

The incident took place on December 24 in Sector 11 of Rohini where a barricade had been placed, they said.

According to police, a caller informed them that a female driver, apparently drunk, had hit a police constable with her car.

A police team rushed to the spot and found the white car that had struck the barricade.

The woman, a resident of Sector 16, Rohini, was found to be under the influence of alcohol, police said.

Constable Rohit, posted with the 1st Battalion of the Delhi Armed Police, who suffered injuries in the collision, was taken to BSA Hospital for treatment, police said.

They said the woman, who works in the private sector, was returning home from a birthday party when the incident occurred.

She was arrested, and her car was seized, they said.