Hamas says it releases two US hostages 'for humanitarian reasons' after Qatari efforts
GAZA, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Hamas' armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, has released two U.S. hostages from Gaza - a mother and her daughter - "for humanitarian reasons" in response to Qatari mediation efforts in the war with Israel, its spokesman Abu Ubaida said on Friday.
Hamas says it took about 200 hostages during a deadly Oct. 7 rampage carried out from the Gaza Strip on communities and military bases in southern Israel, part of the biggest attack on the country since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Hamas said 50 more are held by other armed groups in the enclave. It said more than 20 hostages have been killed by Israeli air strikes, but has not given any further details.
Abu Ubaida said they released the citizens "for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by (President Joe) Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless."
Hamas knows that they need to keep this conflict between themselves and Israel. If they piss off any more NATO/Allied countries, the chance that the Gaza invasion will turn into an international coalition increases significantly.