A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the women were taken from the Nahal Oz area, near the Gaza border, and were en route to a military base in central Israel.

More foreign hostages will be released

The two hostages, from Evanston, an Illinois suburb of Chicago, are the first to be freed since Hamas militants stormed Israel nearly two weeks ago, killing 1,400 people and taking about 200 hostages, US media reported.

Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas' armed wing, said the hostages were released in response to Qatar's mediation efforts. A source familiar with the negotiations said the release of the two Americans was "a first step and discussions are ongoing for more to be released".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a team from the US Embassy in Israel would soon meet with two freed Americans. He said 10 Americans remain unaccounted for after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

President Joe Biden thanked Qatar and Israel in a statement for their cooperation in securing the release of the couple. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said the release came “after days of continuous communication,” and that dialogue on the release would continue.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped facilitate the release of the hostages by transporting them from Gaza to Israel. Israel's Kan television reported that the two women had dual Israeli and American citizenship.

Hamas had previously said the "foreign" captives were "guests" and would be released. An Israeli military statement earlier in the day said most of the hostages were alive.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in Gaza and has relentlessly attacked the strip with air strikes over the past two weeks, leaving the 2.3 million people of the area under siege and barring the transport of food, fuel and medical supplies.

The UN secretary-general visited the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt on Friday and said humanitarian aid must be allowed through as soon as possible.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 4,137 Palestinians, including hundreds of children, have been killed and 13,000 injured in Gaza. The United Nations said more than 1 million people have been left homeless since the outbreak of hostilities.

"The war will continue"

In another development, the US military has been increasingly attacked in Syria and Iraq since October 7, raising concerns about the potential for escalating and spreading violence in the Middle East.

Additionally, a US Navy warship intercepted four missiles and more than a dozen drones fired by Houthi forces in Yemen toward Israel on Thursday.

Israel is now massing tanks and troops near the Gaza Strip in preparation for an expected ground offensive. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said achieving Israel's goals would not be quick or easy.

"We will overthrow Hamas. We will destroy its military and government infrastructure. It will not be an easy period. It will cost us," he told a Knesset committee.

He added that the next phase would take longer to achieve a “completely different security situation” with no threat to Israel from Gaza. “Not a day, not a week and unfortunately not a month,” he said.

Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, CNN, AP)