
The armed wing of Hamas, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, has released two US hostages from Gaza for humanitarian reasons, according to their spokesman. The release came as a response to Qatari mediation efforts in the war with Israel. The Israeli and American officials have not confirmed or denied the claim. Hamas had previously stated that they took around 200 hostages during their rampage on Israeli towns, and they have released some of them. The Israeli military has stated that most of the hostages are still alive, including over 20 children.