Facebook / Screenshot
Undated archive photo of Judith Raanan (left) and her daughter Natalie, released to the media by the family. The two women were released by Hamas this Friday, October 20, 2023.
NEAR EAST – A relief that gives a great glimmer of hope. Two American hostages, a mother and her daughter, have been released by Hamas and have arrived in Israel, the government of the Hebrew state announced this Friday evening, October 20th. Hamas also said it was working with mediators to organize the release of civilian hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the two women, Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were “freed from the hands of the terrorist organization Hamas,” were handed over to the Gaza border and were “heading for a meeting.” . Period, in a military base in the center of the country, where their family members are waiting for them.”
You cannot view this content because:
- By subscribing, you have opted out of cookies related to third-party content. You will therefore not be able to play our videos, which require third-party cookies to function.
- You are using an ad blocker. We recommend you disable it to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases apply to you, contact us at [email protected].
Qatar mediation between Israel and Hamas
The two women were kidnapped on October 7 while visiting the kibbutz (collectivist farming village) Nahal Oz. This is the first hostage release confirmed by both parties.
The Islamist movement’s military spokesman said in a statement that the two hostages were released “for humanitarian reasons and after mediation by Qatar.” In Doha, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari confirmed that “two American civilian hostages were released by Hamas and handed over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip.”
“Today’s progress is the result of several days of ongoing communication between everyone involved. “We will continue our dialogue with the Israelis and Hamas and hope that these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages of all nationalities, with the ultimate goal of defusing the current crisis and restoring peace,” he said.
The International Committee of the Red Cross also contributed to the release of the two American hostages “by transporting the hostages from Gaza to Israel.” “We are ready to visit the remaining hostages and facilitate any future release,” said Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, its president.
Hamas says it wants to “close the file on civilian hostages”
According to Hamas’s military spokesman, the release of the two hostages is also aimed at “proving to the American people and the entire world that the accusations made by (Joe) Biden and his fascist government (about Hamas) are unfounded.”
“Hamas announces to the world that it has released the hostages on humanitarian grounds, but we are talking about a terrorist organization that is currently holding babies, children and the elderly,” replied Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
For his part, US President Joe Biden said in a statement: “Our compatriots have endured a terrible ordeal over the last fortnight and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their families.” He then thanked Qatar and Israel for their “ Partnership” and promised that the United States “would not stop until it brings home its other nationals still held hostage.”
In a statement released after the release of two American hostages, the Palestinian Islamist movement reiterated that it is “working with all mediators involved to implement the movement’s decision to stop the case of civilians (hostages) if the security situation requires it.” .”
About 200 Israeli, foreign and dual nationals were kidnapped in Israel and taken to Gaza by Hamas militants during the unprecedented attack on October 7, sparking a war in which Israel fired shells from the Gaza Strip to “destroy” the Islamist movement “.
See also on HuffPost:
You cannot view this content because:
- By subscribing, you have opted out of cookies related to third-party content. You will therefore not be able to play our videos, which require third-party cookies to function.
- You are using an ad blocker. We recommend you disable it to access our videos.
If neither of these two cases apply to you, contact us at [email protected].