American mother-daughter duo held hostage by Hamas since October 7, released

Two American hostages, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan were released by Hamas. The duo was kidnapped by Hamas from the Nahal Oz kibbutz during its attack on Southern Israel. They are the first hostages to be released since October 7 when the conflict began. The mother and daughter duo had gone to Israel from Chicago to visit relatives in Nahal Oz and were subsequently taken hostage on October 7, according to their family.

Hamas spokesperson Abu Ubaida said that the hostages were freed for “humanitarian reasons” because of the poor health of Judith Raanan, after mediation efforts from Qatar. The two hostages were handed over to the Israel Defense Forces at the border of Gaza, said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari on Friday. US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he was “overjoyed” at the prospect of the duo being reunited with their families. He added that the USA had not ceased their efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages and thanked Qatar and Israel “for their partnership in this work”.

According to Israeli authorities, at least 1,400 people have been killed and 200 have been held hostage by the Palestinian group since October 7. The attack on October 7 was considered the “most deadly attack by militants” in Israel’s 75-year history. According to the Palestinian authorities, Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes into Palestinian territories have taken more than 4,100 lives.