U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday thanked Qatar and Israel for bringing about the release of American mother and daughter, Judith and Natalie Ra'anan from captivity in Gaza after they were abducted there by Hamas terrorists when they attacked Israel on October 7.
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"Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7. Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear," Biden said.
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Natalie (left) and Judith (right) Ra'anan with the Israeli coordinator for hostages Gal Hirsch
"From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around the clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held. I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work. Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted-for Americans. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week—we will not stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.
Earlier Biden said he believed that trucks carrying aid would get through to Gaza in the next 24-48 hours, as he met with leaders from the European Union at the White House to discuss the war in the Middle East.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians. Since then Israel has bombed Gaza with air strikes. At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed, including hundreds of children, in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
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Palestinians flee their homes in Rafah amid Israeli strikes
(Photo: Mohammed Abed / AFP)
Asked about aid trucks getting through to Gaza, Biden said he had a commitment from the Israelis and the president of Egypt. The "highway had to be repaved," Biden said. He said he believed that over the next 24-48 hours the first 20 trucks with aid would get through.
International attention has focused on getting aid to Gaza through the one access point not controlled by Israel, the Rafah crossing to Egypt. Biden, who visited Israel on Wednesday, emerged with a promise from Israel to allow limited shipments from Egypt, provided the aid is monitored to prevent any from reaching Hamas.
Rafah was out of operation for nearly two weeks since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel.
Israel's bombardment of Gaza, a 45-km-long (25-mile) enclave, in retaliation for the Hamas attack has worsened conditions for the 2.3 million people living there under a blockade by Israel and Egypt since Hamas took control in 2007.
Diplomatic activity around the opening of the Rafah crossing has intensified, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently receiving the top U.S. general overseeing troops in the Middle East as well as King Abdullah of Jordan, and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling in Cairo for aid to be delivered at scale and on a sustained basis.
First published: 23:10, 10.20.23