Two American citizens released; Most of the victims are still alive in Israel

Israel and the terrorist group announced that Hamas has freed two American hostages from among the 200 prisoners kidnapped in an October 7 attack by the terrorist group in Israel.

"In response to Qatari efforts, the (Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and daughter) on humanitarian grounds," Hamas said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Israel later confirmed that the two hostages had been released and were in the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement that Judith Tai Ranan and Nathalie Shoshana Ranan, who were abducted from the Nahal Os Kibbutz, have been released after nearly two weeks.

The Israeli military said on Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive. Most of the hostages are still alive. The bodies were also taken to the Gaza Strip," the military statement said.

The military said more than 20 of the hostages were minors and between 10 and 20 were over 60 years old. Between 100 and 200 people are considered missing since the Hamas attack, the army added.

Hamas Islamist militants breached the fence around the Israeli enclave on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in Israeli towns and kibbutzim. Then many people were taken hostage. Israel has vowed to wipe out the Hamas Islamist group that rules Gaza.

After Israel leveled a northern Gaza district and smashed into an Orthodox Christian church where others took refuge today after giving families a half-hour warning to flee, the army said it expected an order to attack Gaza soon. Meanwhile the UN secretary-general visited the besieged crossing between Gaza and Egypt, saying humanitarian aid should be allowed in as soon as possible.

Experts in the field of war say that the ground war that Israel is about to conduct in Gaza will not completely eliminate Hamas terrorists. The main problem is the huge underground tunnels that Hamas has built against Israel.

These secret tunnels are Hamas' greatest strength. Important Hamas terrorist leaders are hiding in these tunnels, which have a large stockpile of weapons. A ground attack without a clear understanding of these tunnels will not drive out Hamas.

Only Hamas knows how to get in and out of the tunnels. Hamas's defenses are made up of a complex network of tunnels that stretch 30 meters underground and stretch for 500 kilometers.

It is estimated that there are more than 5,000 gates in these tunnels. So there could be a surprise counterattack from underground at any time. It is believed that this is why Israel is reluctant to engage in a direct ground war. The military said it expects the order to attack Gaza soon.