Two Israeli Hostages Released By Hamas: Report
By Bill Galluccio
October 23, 2023
Hamas released two Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday (October 23) night. The release of the prisoners was "facilitated" by the International Committee of the Red Cross with the help of mediation efforts from the Qatari government.
"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," the organization wrote on X.
The Israeli Hostage Center identified the two hostages as 85-year-old Yocheved Lifshitz and 79-year-old Nurit Cooper. They are both from the Nir Oz kibbutz.
There is no information about their condition.
Their release comes a few days after Hamas released two Americans, Judith Raanan and her daughter, Natalie.
Hamas continues to hold over 200 hostages in Gaza following a series of brutal surprise attacks on October 7 that reignited the war between Israel and Hamas.
The conflict has killed thousands of civilians, including 1,400 Israelis and 5,000 Palestinians.