Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 20, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 20, 2023
Hamas says it released mother and daughter held in Gaza; no Israeli confirmation
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
People walk near posters featuring Israelis being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, October 18, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Hamas issues a statement announcing it has released two American citizens — a mother and her daughter — “for humanitarian reasons.”
The step follows efforts by Qatar taken to “prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [US president Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless,” a Hamas spokesperson says.
Hamas does not identify which hostages it has released.
There is not immediately any Israeli confirmation of the move or footage of the hostages’ release.
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