Israel-Gaza war: Hamas releases US hostages Judith and Natalie Raanan
- The mother and daughter, kidnapped from Nahal Oz kibbutz, are the first abductees freed since Hamas gunmen burst into Israel on October 7
- The pair were handed over to Israeli forces at the Gaza border before heading to a military base in the centre of Israel to be reunited with family
The Islamist group Hamas has released two US hostages, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were kidnapped in its deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the pair were abducted by Iranian-backed Islamist militants of Hamas from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where they were staying when the surprise assault took place.
Judith Raanan, 59, and Natalie, 17, had been visiting the kibbutz, about 1.6km (one mile) from the Gaza border, as part of a trip from their home in the Chicago suburb of Evanston to celebrate the Jewish holidays and the 85th birthday of Judith’s mother, relatives said.
The pair were handed over to Israeli forces at the Gaza Strip border on Friday. “Two of our abductees are at home. We are not giving up on the effort to return all abducted and missing people,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “At the same time, we’ll continue to fight until victory.”
Natalie’s father Uri Raanan, 71, said he had spoken with his daughter on the phone on Friday for only a few emotional minutes and that they did not talk about her experiences of the last two weeks.
He said she was “doing very good. I’m in tears, and I feel very, very good”.
He said Judith has a minor injury he described as a “little scratch” on her hand. “They look good and sound good,” Uri added, saying that when he sees his daughter he plans to hug her and kiss her. “It’s going to be the best day of my life.”