The American hostages of Oct. 7 attack on a border town in the Gaza Strip: An Israeli prime minister’s statement and a call for an agreement
The Israeli prime minister’s office announced Friday that the two American hostages who were held by the militant group Hamas have been released.
Judith Raanan, 59, and Natalie Raanan, 17, a mother and daughter from Illinois, had been visiting family in Israel when they were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to news interviews given by family members.
“Our fellow citizens have been through a very difficult time over the past 14 days and I am happy that they will be allowed to come back home to their families,” said President Biden in a statement.
The elder Raanan, also known by her Hebrew name, Yehudit, is an operating room nurse. Her daughter had recently graduated from high school and was taking a gap year to travel, according to Saray Cohen, Raanan’s sister, who spoke with the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.
The pair were received by Israeli military at the border of the Gaza Strip, according to the prime minister’s office. “At the moment, they are on their way to a meeting point at a military base in the center of their country, where their family members are waiting for them,” the statement said.
The Ranaans were staying in a guest house in southern Israel on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants flooded across the Gaza border and into Israeli communities nearby. There were more than 1,400 dead in the attack, including hundreds at the music festival and in their homes.
Among the towns attacked was Nahal Oz, a quiet, small kibbutz just half a mile from the border with Gaza. Family members had been in contact with the Raanans even as the fighting began that morning, according to Cohen. For hours, they received updates via WhatsApp from the pair, who were hiding in a safe room, according to relatives.
There is still time to obtain the release of some of the hostages through this type of agreement before the ground assault begins. Israeli special forces will try to save them after the invasion begins.
There are still official talks taking place. The United States is talking to Israel, while the United Kingdom is talking with Hamas. This is too convoluted and complex. There need to be direct talks between Israel, Qatar and Hamas, and no one else. Not the United States, and not Iran. The International Committee of the Red Cross was involved in securing the release of the two Americans.
The Israelis and the Palestinians: How Will Israel Live After the Atrocities of Oct. 7? Israelis, Israel, and the Red Cross
According to Rabbi Hecht, who is close to the family, the news of Judith and Natalie being released gives the group an overwhelming amount of gratitude.
Red Cross officials said they were asking Hamas leaders to offer “proof of life,” such as a message, phone call or video that would prove each person believed to be held captive is alive. The Red Cross is trying to convince Hamas to let in medicine and allow the release of hostages with urgent health needs.
Aya Batrawy contributed reporting in Jerusalem; Daniel Estrin and Liz Baker contributed reporting from Tel Aviv; and Deepa Shivaram contributed reporting from Washington.
Mr. Hamad was very compassionate for Mr. and his family. Over a thousand Palestinian prisoners were arrested for Mr. Shalit’s release. He was back in northern Israel on October 18, 2011. He blurted out in joy when I spoke to him on the phone, next time we will negotiate peace.
Netanyahu came to realize that the ethos of leaving no soldier behind sometimes required that type of engagement and he became a less strident opponent of negotiating with terrorists.
According to the Addameer, Israel holds about 7,000 Palestinian prisoners and 559 are serving life sentences for killing Israelis. Will Israelis be willing to accept this kind of bargain again after the atrocities of Oct. 7? Is it safe to do so? According to a report from Israel, one of the terrorists who killed my cousin was among the leaders of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.
The United States still has a role to play. It should continue to pressure Qatar, which should give an ultimatum that if hostages are not released within, say, 24 hours, all of Hamas’s leaders will be expelled from Qatar, where many are based. I don’t believe that Qatar will agree to that — and certainly not without an Israeli cease-fire — but the American government and others have leverage over Qatar and it should be used.
I hope that at the end of the war, the suffering we are all going through on both sides will inspire us to share this land that belongs to both Israelis and Palestinians. Maybe focusing on how to live together rather than killing each other would be better for our collective pain. That will be a long process and cannot include the leaders on both sides who have brought us to where we are.
Israeli officials said that Hamas had taken at least 20 children, including toddlers; more than a dozen people in their 60s, 70s and 80s; and people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease, heart problems, diabetes and cancer. On top of that, several hostages were gravely wounded by gunshots and grenades during the terrorist attack.
In the 10 days that have passed, the Red Cross has met face to face and held numerous phone calls with Hamas officials, but, considering the levels of violence in Gaza, I think it’s difficult for us to do our work.
In an interview this past week, the organization’s regional director for the Near and Middle East, Fabrizio Carboni, said that he has a hard time getting away from this because there are people who should never be there.
“They should all be released, but the ones with specific medical conditions should be even more released than the others,” Mr. Carboni said. “There is no way easily to provide the medical help they need in Gaza today,” he added. “We asked for it. Today we are far away from it.