The military arm of the Palestinian Hamas group announced on Monday that it had released two Israeli women on humanitarian and health grounds. This move came as reports surfaced suggesting that the United States had advised Israel to refrain from launching a ground assault in the Gaza Strip.
The spokesman for the armed wing, Abu Ubaida, communicated the decision to release the hostages via Telegram. While the specific identities of the released women were not initially disclosed, Israeli media later identified them as Nurit Cooper and Yocheved Lifshitz. Both were said to be elderly Israelis.
These releases followed the liberation of an American woman and her daughter on the preceding Friday. The four individuals were part of a group of more than 200 people taken hostage by Hamas militants during a cross-border assault on October 7, during which 1,400 people lost their lives.
Publicly, the United States has emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself. However, according to inside sources, the White House, Pentagon, and State Department have engaged in private discussions with Israeli officials, urging caution in their actions.
The United States’ primary objective is to buy time for negotiations to secure the release of the remaining hostages, especially in light of the unexpected release of Americans Judith and Natalie Raanan on Friday. These sources provided their insights prior to the official announcement of the hostage releases on Monday.
Responding to questions about the possibility of a ceasefire, U.S. President Joe Biden stated, “We should have those hostages released, and then we can talk.”
On Monday, Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the third and fourth hostages had also been freed, with their families duly informed. Footage broadcast by Egypt’s Extra News TV depicted the two captives being transferred to ambulances at the Rafah crossing, which connects Gaza to Egypt.
