As the Israel-Hamas conflict still escalating, the Palestinian militant group Hamas to have released an Israeli woman and her two children it said had been detained during fighting with Israeli forces. However, the Israeli media have rejected this news.When asked about the same, the Israeli army said that it was checking the claim.Hamas claims to release Israeli woman, two children“An Israeli settler and her two children were released after they were detained during the clashes,” Ezzedine al-Qassem Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement referring to its Saturdays surprise attack on Israel.A video aired by Hamas television Al-Aqsa network showed a woman dressed in a blue shirt with two children in a barbed-wired area that appeared to be between Israel and the Gaza Strip, while three Hamas fighters were seen walking away.The viral footage did not show any military personnel receiving the three, and the clip appeared to have been filmed in daylight.Despite the video going viral, the media still could not verify its authenticity so far.Israeli media refutes Hamas claims to release hostagesIsraeli television channels rejected Hamass claim, saying the woman and the two children were never taken to the Gaza Strip by Hamas fighters after they launched the deadly assault.The channels identified the woman as Avital Aladjem, a resident of kibbutz Holit, who had told in a series of interviews this week that she had been taken by force by Hamas militants along with two children of her neighbour to a border area between Israel and the Gaza Strip.Then, she said that a group of fighters later let her go with her children.According to Israeli officials, over 150 people were taken hostage by Hamas after its unprecedented attack on Israel.No official release of hostages held by Hamas has so far occurred.Turkish President holds talks with Hamas over releasing Israeli hostagesMeanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a negotiation process with Hamas for the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian militants, an official source told AFP on Wednesday.“They are negotiating to secure the release of the hostages,” the source said, confirming a report by the private TV channel Haberturk.Erdogan, who has offered to mediate to restore peace, has been stepping up talks with his Middle Eastern counterparts.Late Wednesday, he spoke with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Anadolu state news agency reported.It quoted Erdogan saying that on behalf of Turkey, “we are ready to do everything in our power”, including mediation and “fair arbitration” to end the conflict quickly.
