Baghdad, Iraq ? Kidnappers released two female Italian aid workers and five other hostages Tuesday, raising hopes for foreigners still in captivity. But insurgents showed no sign of easing their blood-soaked campaign against the U.S. presence in Iraq, staging a show of defiance in Samarra and striking twice with deadly force in Basra.

Three Egyptian telecommunications workers abducted last week were among those freed Tuesday, their parent company, Orascom, announced in Cairo. A fourth Egyptian in the group was released Monday and two others remain hostage.

It was unclear what prompted the two separate groups of kidnappers to release their captives, including two Iraqis who had been seized with the Italian women, and whether any ransom was paid.

The Italians were wearing full black veils that revealed only their eyes as they were received by the Italian Red Cross in a Baghdad neighborhood, according to video broadcast by the Arab news station Al-Jazeera.

Looking dazed but smiling, Simona Torretta lifted her veil and repeated, “Thank you,” in Arabic. Simona Pari hesitated before also lifting her veil.

The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai al-Aam had reported a $1 million payment was involved, but Al-Arabiya TV, citing unidentified sources involved in the negotiations, said no ransom was paid.

The Egyptian charge d’affaires in Baghdad, Farouq Mabrouk, said the kidnappings of the Egyptians were “motivated by financial reasons.” But an Orascom spokesman declined to comment on whether a ransom had been paid.

Aid workers Simona Pari, second left, and Simona Torretta arrive at Rome's Ciampino military airport Tuesday after their release. The two women had been kidnapped Sept. 7 in Baghdad, Iraq.

More than 140 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq — some by anti-U.S. insurgents and others by criminals seeking ransom. At least 26 have been killed, including two Americans whose beheadings were recorded on grisly video footage and posted on the Internet last week.