Daily Times

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday that it facilitated the release of two more hostages held in Gaza, after two American women were freed Friday.

“We facilitated the release of 2 more hostages, transporting them out of Gaza this evening,” the organisation wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“We hope that they will soon be back with their loved ones,” the Geneva-based ICRC added, without giving the names of those released.

The announcement came shortly after Hamas announced the release of the two female hostages.

The ICRC had said on Monday evening that it was once again “ready to facilitate any future release”.

Israel on Monday increased the number of hostages it has confirmed to 222 people seized when Hamas gunmen crossed the border and attacked kibbutz communities, towns and military bases in southern Israel earlier this month.

Some 1,400 people were killed in the worst attack ever to hit Israel, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel launched an immediate war on Hamas and more than 5,000 people have since been killed in its air attacks on Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry.

On Friday, ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric Egger stressed that all hostages must receive humanitarian assistance and necessary medical care.

“They must have the opportunity to contact their families,” she said in a statement.

The ICRC has been present in Israel and the occupied territories since 1967. The organisation notably carries out visits to Israeli and Palestinian detention centres.