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Topline Hamas released two American hostages Friday, according to multiple outlets, the first to be released of an estimated 200 hostages captured during an October attack on Israel. Key Facts Hamas said in a statement the release of the hostages was done “for humanitarian reasons” and to prove “the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.” Hamas did not specify in the statement what false claims the Biden Administration had made. The Red Cross confirmed it had received the hostages in Gaza, according to the Messenger, with the Israel Defense Forces saying the two would be transported to Egypt and then back home to the U.S. Reuters reports the release comes after mediation efforts between Hamas and representatives from Qatar. U.S. and European governments have pressed Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza to buy more time for hostage release talks, according to Bloomberg, which cited people familiar with the efforts who said Hamas might agree to release some of its hostages without demanding the same of Israel. Key Background Claims about the number of hostages held by Hamas have fluctuated. A Hamas representative told the New York Times Thursday that the group doesn’t have an exact count of how many Israeli hostages are in Gaza, nor where they all are. Hamas claimed early this week that 250 hostages were in Gaza, 200 of which were held captive by the group themselves while the remaining 50 were being held by other factions. The number isn’t too far off from the estimations given by Israeli Defense Force officials, which have said 203 hostages have been taken to Gaza. Further Reading How Many Hostages Are In Gaza? Israel Says 203—But Hamas Claims It Doesn’t Know ‘Exact Numbers’ (Forbes) Biden Calls For ‘Urgent’ Funding For Israel And…

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Filed under: News - @ October 20, 2023 11:28 pm