Two American Hostages Released From Gaza

Two American hostages were released by the terrorists of Hamas ym”s, after President Biden announced millions of dollars of “humanitarian aid” for Gaza. 

Two American hostages were released by the terrorists of Hamas ym”s, after President Biden announced millions of dollars of “humanitarian aid” for Gaza. The release comes amidst Qatar’s efforts to counter claims by US President Joe Biden’s administration and to save face for hosting the heads of Hamas in their country.

The step follows efforts by Qatar taken to “prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [US president Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless,” a Hamas spokesperson says.

While Hamas did not specify the identities of the hostages they released, Israeli officials, as per Hebrew media reports, clarified that Jerusalem did not negotiate or offer any concessions for the hostages’ release. The mother and daughter were subsequently handed over to the International Red Cross in Gaza, from where they are expected to be transferred to Israel via Egypt.

Two hostages released by Hamas were identified as Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie.

The pair, who both have American citizenship, have been transferred to the International Red Cross ahead of their arrival in Israel, the official says.

The two are residents of Evanston, Illinois outside of Chicago and came to Israel this month to celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday.

The Raanan family had been celebrating Simchat Torah in Nahal Oz, a kibbutz in Israel about a mile from the Gaza border when the Hamas onslaught began.

Natalie Raanan, 18, recently graduated from high school and was looking forward to taking a break and visiting family overseas, her uncle, Avi Zamir, said at a community event for the Raanans in Evanston last week.

Nearly 200 additional hostages – men, women, the elderly, and young children – remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip.