Tel Aviv : It appears that the efforts of U.S. President Joe Biden have yielded positive results as the terrorist organization Hamas has released two American citizens it had been holding hostage. The two released Americans have been identified as Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter, Natali Raanan, both from Chicago.
According to their family, they were visiting relatives in Nahal Oz, a farming community in southern Israel, and were released on “humanitarian grounds” due to the mother’s poor health. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also confirmed the incident.
“Today, two American citizens who Hamas had held hostage since their terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7 have been released. They are now safely in the custody of Israeli authorities, and a team from the U.S. embassy will meet with them shortly,” wrote U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Furthermore, the release was part of negotiations involving Qatar and Hamas, as reported by CNN. During a press briefing, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed gratitude to the Qatari government for their assistance.
“I want to thank the government of Qatar for their invaluable assistance. When I was in Israel last week, I met with the families of U.S. citizens that Hamas had taken hostage,” Blinken said. He also mentioned that U.S. President Joe Biden had the opportunity to meet the family, stating, “The entire United States government will work tirelessly to secure their release and bring their loved ones home”.
However, the IDF strongly criticized the Hamas terror group for continuing to hold approximately 200 other hostages.
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