The brigades on Friday said that it made the move to prove that the US allegations were "false and baseless". This is the first time that the Gaza-ruling group released hostages since the conflict began almost two weeks ago, Xinhua news agency reported.Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed the release of the two hostages in a statement on Friday."This evening two hostages were released from the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization," the office said in a statement, identifying the two released as Judith Raanan and Natalie Raanan.The statement added that the two released were "received on the border with Gaza and are on the way to a military base where they will meet their families".Israeli media Channel 2 reported earlier that the two are a mother and daughter who are US citizens. It is unclear whether they are also Israeli citizens.In a press release, US President Joe Biden also confirmed his administration secured the release of two American hostages and thanked Qatar and Israel for their partnership in this work.Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating Israeli territory, where it seized a large number of hostages.The brigades previously stated they were holding 200 to 250 captives in Gaza. An Israeli army statement earlier in the day said a majority of the hostages were alive.--IANSint/sha(Disclaimer: This post has been auto published from IANS news agency without any modification to the text and has not been reviewed by editor)
