Confusing statement from Hamas: Israel did not accept two prisoners

Hamas announced that it offered to release two Israelis captured during the attack in early October, but the Israeli government refused to accept them. Israel described this claim as “false propaganda.”

Abu Ubeida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said mediator Qatar was notified of the group’s intention to free the Israelis on Friday, the same day it freed American Judith Tai Ranaan and her daughter Natalie. .

American captive Judith Tai Raanan’s daughter, Natalie Shoshana Raanan, was freed the other day.

Ubeyde said on his Telegram account: “Last night we informed our Qatari brothers that we would release Nourit Yitshaq and Yokhefed Lifshitz for humanitarian reasons and without expecting anything in return. “But the Israeli occupation government refused to accept them,” he said.

Hamas captured approximately 210 people during its deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, and they are being held at an undisclosed location in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office made a brief statement on the issue. In the statement, “We will not give credence to Hamas’s false propaganda. “We will continue to act by all means to return all the kidnapped and missing people to their homes,” he said.