The US government pressured Israel to delay his impending land enterprise to Gaza to allow the release of more hostages and aid to Hamas in Gaza, according to two sources cited by CNN.

The release on Friday of two American women held by Hamas signaled the possibility of their release of more than about 200 hostages (212 according to latest information) believed to have been abducted by the organization after the attack it launched two weeks ago.

“THE [κυβέρνηση των ΗΠΑ] pressured the Israeli leadership to delay due to progress on the hostage front” and the need to transport aid trucks to Gaza, said a person familiar with the discussions.

The US National Security Council did not immediately comment on the publication.

When US President Joe Biden was asked on Saturday if he encouraged Israel to delay the invasion, he replied: “I’m talking to the Israelis.”

Qatar, acting as mediator for US and Israel, leads talks with Hamas for the release of the hostages since they were kidnapped by the Islamist group two weeks ago. According to a diplomat briefed on the talks, the negotiations included talks about moving much-needed aid to Gaza and the need for a temporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out of Gaza. Israel has not said it is considering a ceasefire.

Hamas does not seem to have taken specific exchange for the release of Judith Tye Raanan and Natalie Raanan on Friday.

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a statement on Saturday that it was willing to release two “detainees” it identified by name. “The same procedures” used to free the two American women will be used for the new proposed release, the statement said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office responded to the statement Saturday night, saying it would not comment on “false Hamas propaganda”, adding that the government of Israel “will continue to do whatever it takes to bring all prisoners and missing persons back home.” An official in the Israeli prime minister’s office told CNN on Friday, after news of the release of the American women, that it may have been an attempt by Hamas to reduce the strength of the Israeli military response.

“This n [στρατιωτική] pressure won’t go away because they were set free,” the official explained. “It won’t change the mission, which is the dissolution of Hamas.”