Hostages

Hamas will release a number of foreign hostages in the coming days, a spokesman for the group’s armed wing said. It was not immediately clear how many hostages would be involved. “We have informed intermediaries that we will release a number of foreigners in the next few days,” spokesman Abu Obeida told AFP. The announcement came on the messaging service Telegram on Tuesday. Israel’s military has said Hamas has taken more than 230 hostages with it to the Gaza Strip in connection with the group’s attack on Israel on October 7. Many of those abducted are foreign nationals. So far, Hamas has released four hostages, most recently just over a week ago, when two elderly Israeli women were handed over to the Red Cross at the border between Gaza and Israel. Prior to that, two Americans had been released. They were mother and daughter. In addition, Israel’s military has freed a female soldier who was captured and detained in the Gaza Strip by Hamas. /ritzau/Reuters/AFP/