Hamas has released a pair of U.S. hostages, a mother and daughter who were being held in Gaza, following mediation with the Qatari government.

The terrorist group decided to release the hostages for “humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by (President Joe) Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless,” said Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in a statement first reported by Reuters.

In its bloody rampage on October 7, Hamas killed over 1,400 Israelis and abducted hundreds of other civilians, including Americans and other foreign nationals.

Israel has responded by relentlessly bombarding Hamas locations in Gaza as it prepares to launch a ground offensive. The Israeli military told Gaza residents to evacuate to the south of the strip last week. The Israeli defense minister on Thursday ordered ground troops to get ready to go into Gaza without specifying a timeline.