Palestinian militants surround a truck reportedly carrying a captured Israeli after crossing the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis. The Israeli army said on Friday that most of the hostages being held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant Palestinian organization are still alive. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
The military wing of Hamas claims to have released two hostages with US citizenship from the Gaza Strip, although no official confirmation from Israel or the US was forthcoming on Friday evening. Several media outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported that the hostages had been handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza. The Israeli military did not initially comment. In "response to Qatar's efforts," a mother and her daughter were said to have been released "for humanitarian reasons," the al-Qassam Brigades statement said. Terrorists on behalf of the militant Islamist Hamas movement, which controls...
