The Islamist group Hamas reported that it released two Israeli hostages this Monday, while Israel's military offensive against the Gaza Strip continues to aggravate the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave, where humanitarian aid continued to enter and official sources already count more than 5,000 dead. The spokesman for Hamas's military wing, Abu Obeida, stated in a statement that the two hostages were released "for compelling humanitarian reasons" thanks to the mediation of Qatar and Egypt. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) claimed that it had facilitated the release of the hostages. At the moment, the information was not confirmed by Israel, but Israeli media identified the two women as Yocheved Lifshitz and Nurit Kuper, two octogenarians from Kibbutz Nir Oz. The liberation would have occurred at the "Rafah crossing point", between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, indicated the Extra News television network, close to the Egyptian authorities, after the Hamas announcement. Since Hamas' bloody incursion into Israel on October 7, only one American woman and her daughter were freed on Friday. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said this Monday that there can only be talk of a ceasefire in Gaza if Hamas releases all the kidnapped hostages. "The hostages must be released, then we can talk," he said at the White House when asked if he would support a "ceasefire hostages" agreement. This Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller assured reporters that a ceasefire "would give Hamas the opportunity to rest, reequip and prepare to continue launching terrorist attacks against Israel," and that is why he rejected it.