Two U.S. hostages, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, who were abducted by Hamas in a surprise terror attack on Israel, have been released. The announcement of their release was made by the Israeli prime minister’s office and confirmed by former NBC correspondent Martin Fletcher, who is related to the hostages. The mother and daughter were greeted at the Gaza border by Israeli Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch and taken to a military base in Israel, where they were reunited with their worried relatives. The release of the hostages ended two weeks of sleeplessness and worry for Judith and Natalie’s family, who expressed relief and gratitude for their safe return.
Uri Raanan, Natalie’s father and Judith’s ex-husband, revealed that he had spoken to Natalie and she was in good spirits. He also thanked President Joe Biden and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker for their efforts in securing their release. Uri Raanan said that President Biden assured him that he is working on securing the release of other American hostages.
Brett McGurk, the National Security Council Middle East Coordinator, stated that the Biden administration is in touch with the families of other missing Americans and is committed to ensuring their safety as well.
Fletcher, in an interview with NBC News, expressed relief at the release of his relatives but also highlighted the concern for the remaining hostages still held captive. He praised his family’s support during the ordeal and referred to the release as a miracle.
The release of Judith and Natalie came on the same day that the Israeli prime minister’s office reported that over 200 Israelis were still being held captive, with at least 30 of them being under the age of 16. The efforts in securing the freedom of the two women involved the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and received support from the governments of Qatar and Israel.
The Prime Minister’s office and the Israeli security system are working tirelessly to locate and free all the Hamas hostages. Former CIA Chief of Staff Jeremy Bash mentioned that the ex-hostages are likely to be questioned by Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, in order to obtain valuable intelligence.
The attack on Judith and Natalie occurred while they were celebrating Judith’s 85th birthday at a kibbutz in southern Israel. They managed to communicate with their family through text messages while hiding from the Hamas gunmen. However, the gunmen eventually found them and took them hostage.
In Chicago, a friend of Judith Raanan expressed her joy upon hearing the news of their release. The friend had been concerned about their well-being and expressed gratitude for their safe return.
Reported by Richard Engel, Josh Lederman, Tom Winter, and Corky Siemaszko.
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