Judith (Yehudit) Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, two American-Israeli captives who have been detained by Hamas since Saturday, October 7, were released to the Red Cross, traveled back to Israel, and were reunited with their families late Friday, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Around 10 p.m., Brig.-Gen. (Ret.) Gal Hirsch, Coordinator for the Captives and Missing, and IDF and security officials greeted the mother and daughter at the border.
They then traveled to a location where their relatives were waiting at a military base in central Israel.
Prior to the publication, Hamas sent a statement via their Telegram channel.
Two of the hostages, mother and daughter Yehudit Tai and Natali Shoshana Raanan were released by the Hamas terror organization and were transferred to the Israeli border via the Red Cross.
They are on their way to an army base in central Israel were their families are anxiously… pic.twitter.com/S4WZKUlE2h
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 20, 2023
After Qatar’s Foreign Ministry claimed that “many days” of its mediation led to the captives’ release, US President Joe Biden welcomed their liberation and praised Israel and Qatar for their cooperation.
The release of the prisoners, according to an Israeli source who spoke to KAN News, is meant to put Israel under pressure to put off making a ground incursion into Gaza.
However, Prime Minister Benjamin declared that despite the women’s release, Israel “will continue to fight until victory.”
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