February 28, 2019 - 12:30 PM
GAZA, Palestinian Territory - The Hamas militant group says that Egypt has released eight Palestinians, including four of its members, from detention after years of denying knowledge of their abduction.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh announced the release of the detainees and thanked Egypt upon his return from a three-week trip to the country on Thursday.
The four Hamas militants were abducted in August 2015, when unknown gunmen ambushed a bus ferrying a group of Palestinian travellers across the Gaza-Egypt border.
The Egyptian government consistently denied any connection to the abduction, hinting that the perpetuators could be Islamic insurgents from the restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula.
It was not immediately clear how Egypt secured the release.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019