Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas, said Friday, October 20, the group has released two American hostages out of the roughly 200 captives abducted from Israel on October 7 for “humanitarian reasons.” Israel confirmed that the two Americans – a mother and daughter – were reportedly released following efforts by Qatar. Ubaida said they were released to “prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”

While Israel did confirm the release, the identities of the two have not yet been revealed. Hamas didn’t explain when, where, or how the two Americans were released. A statement from the Israeli military earlier in the day said the majority of the hostages are still alive and that about 20 of them were minors while between ten and 20 are believed to be over 60.