2 more hostages released by Palestinian resistance

Two more hostages have been freed by the Palestinian resistance.

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. 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.”

“With Egyptian and Qatari mediation, we released two detainees for humanitarian reasons, whom the enemy had previously refused to receive,” Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida said in a statement on Telegram. Abu Obeida added that the pair were released due to “compelling humanitarian and medical reasons, despite the occupation committing more than eight violations of procedures.”

“It was agreed with the mediators that the occupation would adhere to procedures during the handover of the two detainees, but it [Israel] violated them,” he said, without elaborating on the conditions.

More than 200 hostages are still being held in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. The former head of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, told Sky News that the Palestinian resistance would release the civilian prisoners of war if Israel stops the bombardment of Gaza, adding that 22 had been killed in Israel’s bombing campaign. He explained that soldiers held as prisoners of war would only be released in return for the release of the 6,000 Palestinians prisoners being held in Israeli jails.

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