Hamas has released two female captives for humanitarian reasons and in response to a Qatari-Egyptian mediation, according to a statement by Abu Ubaida, the spokesman of the group's armed wing, on its Telegram channel. The release came amid fears of a widening war as Israel escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip while also striking targets in the occupied West Bank, Syria and Lebanon and traded fire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group. Read our blog to see how the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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