Hamas frees two Americans amid Israeli airstrikes

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Pic/AP

Israel says Hamas has freed two American hostages who had been held in Gaza since militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7. The hostage release on Friday came even as Israeli airstrikes continued to hit southern Gaza, an area swelled by civilians who fled there from the north on Israeli instructions.

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Israel was also evacuating a sizable town near the Lebanese border in the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil. Palestinians in Gaza reported heavy airstrikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, where civilians had been told to seek safety amid Israel's bombardment of areas closer to the Israeli border.

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