Hamas released two Americans among the 200 hostages abducted in the October 7 attacks in Israel. Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan are back in Israel, with no details on their condition.
President Biden expressed joy, and Hamas indicated more releases may follow, working with Qatar and Egypt to free “civilian” hostages. The pair was seized from Nahal Oz kibbutz near the Israel-Gaza border while on holiday.
They were met at the Gaza border by an Israeli envoy and taken to a military base in central Israel, where their families are waiting to meet them.
The Raanan family, like others, had launched an international campaign to press for efforts to bring the hostages out of Gaza.
Hamas stated that, following approaches by Qatar and Egypt, “(Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens for humanitarian reasons.”
