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.
🇮🇱 govt:
— Propaganda and co (@propandco) October 23, 2023
“Hostages are being raped and tortured”
🇮🇱 hostage: salam shalom *shakes hand* pic.twitter.com/ApWv7P9LZN
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