Among the 200 or so captives they took during the horrific bombings on October 7 in Israel, Gaza’s Hamas rulers freed two Americans on Friday and hinted that more would come.
According to the Israeli government, Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan returned to Israel late on Friday.
US President Joe Biden immediately expressed his happiness at the announcement, but no information was provided regarding their condition.
Additionally, in a hint that additional releases might come, Hamas stated that it was collaborating with Egypt and Qatar to free its “civilian” hostages.
An Israeli ambassador greeted the two at the Gaza border, and they were driven to a military base in central Israel, “where their families are waiting to meet them.”
On October 7, the American mother and daughter were taken from the Nahal Oz kibbutz close to the border between Israel and Gaza. At the time, they were supposedly on vacation in Israel.
Like many of the hostages, the Ranaan family had started an international campaign to demand that attempts be made to free them from Gaza.
According to Hamas, “(Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens for humanitarian reasons” in response to requests from Egypt and Qatar.
About Author
