Hamas Releases Two Israeli Hostages... For Fuel Supply to Gaza Strip

Palestinian armed faction Hamas announced on the 23rd (local time) that it had released two additional hostages for humanitarian reasons. This comes three days after releasing two American hostages on the 20th.

On the 8th (local time), a fire broke out due to an airstrike in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, a Hamas spokesperson stated in a Telegram channel post that two female hostages were released through mediation by Qatar and Egypt. The names of the two released hostages are Nurit Itzhak and Yoshved Lipschitz, both Israeli nationals.

The spokesperson explained that both women are elderly, and health concerns were among the reasons considered for their release. He said, "Despite attacks and crimes by the occupying forces, we decided to release them for humanitarian reasons," and accused, "The enemy has refused to take custody of them since last Friday."

The two women were taken out of Gaza Strip by the Red Crescent and handed over to the Egyptian side at the Rafah checkpoint in Egypt. Al Kahira Al Akhbariya TV channel in Egypt, known to have mediated the hostage release, claimed, "This release is the result of Egypt's strong efforts."

This is the second time Hamas has released hostages since the 20th, when two American women were freed. Hamas stated that there are currently between 200 and 250 hostages in the Gaza Strip, controlled in several locations.

There is also analysis that Hamas decided to release additional hostages to receive fuel supplies in Gaza Strip. Israeli media outlet Haaretz cited sources familiar with the hostage negotiations, reporting that Hamas is considering releasing civilian hostages in exchange for fuel.

Since the 21st, relief supplies including food, water, and medicine have been brought into Gaza Strip, but fuel was excluded due to Israeli opposition. Israel opposes fuel supply, fearing that the fuel could fall into Hamas's hands.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.