With visibly deteriorated faces, Judith and Natalie Raanan, the two Americans kidnapped by Hamas in its attack on southern Israel on October 7, allegedly get out of a car and, accompanied by workers in International Red Cross uniforms, get into another vehicle. that will end his captivity. Mother and daughter, in the middle of the night, focus on the images of the video released by the Al-Qasam Brigades, hours after their spokesperson, Abu Obeida, announced the release of both hostages for "humanitarian reasons", after mediation by Qatar.
Abu Obeida, whose group is the armed wing of Hamas, said on his Telegram account that the two abductees are mother and daughter. A few hours later, the president of the United States, Joe Biden, confirmed her identity. They are Judith and Natalie Raanan, natives of Chicago, who were kidnapped in their attack in southern Israel on October 7.
Abu Obeida stated that they have adopted this gesture to "demonstrate to the American people and the world" that the claims made by President Biden "and his fascist Administration are false and unfounded."
The Israeli authorities officially confirmed the release of the two hostages and explained that they have coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the delivery of the two hostages to the organization, as seen in the images broadcast. It is confirmed that mother and daughter have arrived on Israeli soil.
"On our part, it is a clear humanitarian step to demonstrate that our conflict is only with Israel," said Abu Obeida.
The announcement comes two days after Biden visited Israel to demonstrate his country's "unwavering" support and defend the right of Israelis to defend themselves.
The exact number of hostages with US passports held by Islamists in Gaza is unknown. Currently, there are 13 Americans missing and thirty dead after the surprise attack by Hamas on October 7 against Israel, which left more than 1,400 dead on Israeli soil. The Palestinian group also kidnapped 250 hostages - 200 that it says are in its hands and 50 in the hands of other Palestinian militias - although the Israeli Army has reduced that number to 203.
