Two More Hostages Released From Gaza; Terror Expert Explains Why

Two more hostages who were kidnapped by Palestinian Islamic terrorists two weeks ago have been released by their captors.

The families of Nurit Cooper, 79, and Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, were notified that both women were released by Hamas. Their husbands are still being held hostage.

They have reportedly been handed over to the Red Cross.

Joe Truzman, a research analyst for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) focused on Palestinian armed groups, said that Hamas’ claims that it released the hostages for humanitarian reasons were bogus.

“It’s simply a tactic to create international pressure on Israel to delay a ground incursion into Gaza,” he said.

Hamas says it has released two hostages. The group also says the hostages were released due to humanitarian reasons. While this may sound like a credible excuse, it's not. It's simply a tactic to create international pressure on Israel to delay a ground incursion into Gaza.

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 23, 2023

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller suggested that Hamas did not get anything in return for the release of the hostages.

“As far as I’m aware, Hamas is not getting anything in return for the release of these hostages…we have not released any prisoners, the government of Israel has not released any prisoners, I’m not aware of any release of any prisoners,” he said.

What is Hamas getting? @Statedeptspox: "As far as I’m aware, Hamas is not getting anything in return for the release of these hostages…we have not released any prisoners, the government of Israel has not released any prisoners, I'm not aware of any release of any prisoners.”

— Olivia Gazis (@Olivia_Gazis) October 23, 2023

The release of the two hostages on Monday comes after two American hostages were released late last week.

Judith and Natalie Raanan, residents of Evanston, Illinois, located outside of Chicago, were released by terrorists on Friday. They were in Israel to celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season.

Hamas murdered 1,400+ Israelis and more than 30 Americans during the attacks on October 7 and wounded 3,000+ more. There are still approximately 200 hostages being held hostage inside Gaza and 11 Americans remain unaccounted for.

Horrifying stories have emerged of the atrocities that the terrorists committed, including raping a young girl while her father was forced to listen over the phone, burning people so badly that their identities cannot be confirmed, and beheading babies.

Related: Hostages’ Family Responds To Shaun King Claiming He Knew Them, Helped Get Them Released: ‘He Is Lying!’