By Claudia Aoraha, Senior Reporter for Dailymail.Com 4:46 p.m. Oct 22, 2023, updated 5:59 p.m. Oct 22, 2023
- More than 200 people are believed to have been kidnapped by the terrorists and two Americans were freed from Gaza on Friday amid the escalating conflict
- When Joe Biden was asked on Saturday whether he would encourage Israel to postpone its impending ground invasion, he replied: “I’m talking to the Israelis.”
According to insiders, the US government has asked Israel to postpone its ground offensive in the Gaza Strip in order to release more hostages held by Hamas – and to facilitate the movement of aid to the war-torn strip.
More than 200 people are believed to have been kidnapped by the terrorists and two Americans were freed from Gaza on Friday amid the escalating conflict.
A source who spoke to CNN said: “The [administration] urged the Israeli leadership to hesitate because of progress on the hostage front.
When Joe Biden was asked on Saturday whether he would encourage Israel to postpone its impending ground invasion, he replied: “I’m talking to the Israelis.”
Natalie Shoshana Raanan, 17, and her mother Judith Tai Raanan, 59, arrived back in Israel late Friday, the Israeli government confirmed, after leaving Gaza through an Egyptian-controlled border crossing.
Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan arrived back in Israel late Friday, the Israeli government confirmed
The Raanans left Gaza with no apparent physical injuries, got out of a car and were then surrounded by Red Cross workers before driving away in a vehicle operated by the humanitarian group.
They are now receiving medical treatment, the governor of Illinois said, without giving details of their condition. The deal to release the couple was brokered by Qatar.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Hamas still fears it is holding 10 Americans hostage.
The Foreign Secretary revealed the missing figure during a press conference where he announced the release of Judith and Natalie Raanan.
Blinken said he could not offer any further information on the “status or condition” of the Americans believed to still be in Hamas custody following the Oct. 7 terror attacks.
“I cannot speak publicly about the details of these efforts, and I know you understand that, but the urgent work to release every American and all other hostages continues – as does our work to ensure safe exit from Gaza.” for the Americans trapped there,” he said.
“In this particular case, I would like to thank the Government of Qatar for their very important support.”
Jeremy Bash, a former CIA chief of staff, said Qatar was valuable as an intermediary because Hamas’ political leadership worked and lived in Qatar and Turkey.
“In the past, when it came to conveying messages to Hamas, Qatar was usually one of the intermediaries,” Bash said.
Bash said Judith and Natalie Raanan will likely be carefully questioned by the IDF and Israel’s Shin Bet security service about any information they have heard from their time in captivity.
A young boy paints on a wall next to photos of Israelis who went missing and held captive by Hamas militants in Tel Aviv on October 21. When Joe Biden was asked on Saturday whether he would encourage Israel to postpone the impending ground invasion, he replied: “I’m talking to the Israelis.
That could include information about other hostages and Hamas’ communications tactics, he told NBC.
“This will be very actionable intelligence.”
Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said the mother and daughter were released “on humanitarian grounds” in response to Qatar’s mediation efforts.
In a defiant statement, Abu Ubaida said the move would “prove to the American people and the world that the claims of Biden and his fascist government are false and baseless.”
Israel responded to the Hamas massacre and hostage crisis with airstrikes on Gaza that Hamas said killed more than 4,000 people and said it would take measures to free the hostages while wiping out the terror group.
Israeli tanks and troops are massed near the enclave for an expected ground invasion and are calling on Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza, where Hamas is said to have established itself.
Israel has also stated that the total blockade of the enclave will not end until the Israeli hostages are released.
Hamas says it has around 200 hostages and 50 more are being held by other armed groups in the enclave.
The group claimed more than 20 hostages were killed by Israeli airstrikes but gave no further details.
A “Shabbat dinner” table set with memorial candles on the table outside the 200 empty-seat Museum Square in Tel Aviv, depicting the hostages and missing people. The Israeli military has said it attacks Hamas members and facilities but does not target civilians. and warned against increasing air strikes ahead of the “next phases of the war.” Palestinians have been pulling survivors and corpses out from under their collapsed homes every day for two weeks
Since Israel’s war against Hamas entered its 16th day, relentless bombing has devastated Gaza, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, 28 miles long and with a population of 2.3 million.
Every day for two weeks, Palestinians have been pulling survivors and bodies out from under their collapsed homes. Today, images of gutted buildings can be seen in areas from the north to the far south of the enclave.
The Israeli military has said it is attacking Hamas members and facilities but is not targeting civilians, and warned that it plans to step up airstrikes ahead of the “next phases of the war.”
Israeli planes dropped leaflets warning Gazans to move south or face death. Residents said they were threatened that “anyone who decides not to evacuate will likely be labeled a member” or “accomplice” of a terrorist organization.
“Anyone who chooses not to leave the northern Gaza Strip south of Wadi Gaza could be identified as an accomplice of a terrorist organization,” the leaflets said.
Although Israel had previously warned Palestinians to move south, it had not previously told them that they would otherwise be identified as “terrorist” sympathizers.