A mother and daughter from Chicago who were kidnapped and held prisoner in Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 were released after Qatar conducted talks with the militant group.
The Israeli military has named them as Judith Raanan, in her 60s, and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, who were visiting family in a Kibbutz near the Gaza Strip. Approximately 200 people were kidnapped and 1,400 were killed during the 7 October incident, which sparked a catastrophic Israeli military assault on Gaza.
President Joe Biden announced the release in a statement issued on Friday, October 20, in which he stated that the US government had been working “around-the-clock” to rescue American citizens captured by Hamas.
They were subsequently transferred to an Israeli military base to be reunited with their families. Natalie’s father, Uri, told the Associated Press that he spoke with his daughter by phone late Friday. “She’s doing well. “She’s doing fantastic,” he remarked. “I’m in tears, and I feel very, very good.”
According to the Associated Press, a Hamas spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, said the hostages were released “for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”
Biden stated;
“Our fellow citizens have been through a terrible ordeal over the last 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their terrified family.” As president, nothing is more important to me than the protection of Americans held hostage around the world.”
The release came after “many days of continuous communication” with all sides, according to Qatar’s foreign minister.
The captive release is the first since Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, killing over 1,400 people, largely civilians.
