Judith, Natalie Ra'anan release
The family of Judith and Natalie Ra'anan who were released by Hamas terrorists on Friday and returned to Israel, was celebrating their freedom but said that 10 other relatives were still being held captive in Gaza.
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Or Sela, Judith Ra'anan's cousin told Kan Public Broadcasting in an interview last week that in the Hamas terror attack, 12 members of the family were abducted and taken to Gaza including young children. The family also lost two other members, Avshalom Haran, and Eviatar Kipnis, whose bodies were identified. "This defies any logic," Or said.
On Friday, Hamas cited humanitarian reasons for releasing the two Israeli-Americans after Qatari mediations. They were delivered to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza and transferred to Israel in the late evening hours.
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Judith and Natalie Ra'anan after returning from Hamas captivity on Friday
(Photo: AFP / US Embassy in Jerusalem)
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to the two on the phone and promised his administration's full support while they recover from their ordeal, the White House said. earlier the president thanked Qatar and Israel for their work to release the two hostages but said all others - some 200 according to Israel - must also be freed.
Officials in Israel said they were aware of efforts to release the two led by Qatar, in coordination with the U.S. "The timing of the release is not accidental," the officials said. "Hamas wants to use it to pressure the U.S. to in turn exert its pressure on Israel, to suspend its expected ground maneuver, so as not to harm hostages."
"I cannot say we are able to process our grief and it will take a long time for us to understand what has happened. Our efforts now are to do whatever we can for those who are still alive and that leaves us little time to grieve for our family members or our friends who have died."
Judith's mother survived the attack after remaining in her secured room for 16 hours until soldiers reached her and although she was told she must leave the area with them, she insisted on searching for her daughter. Only after days did the family receive the eyewitness account that Judith and her daughter were seen with their hands tied, taken by the terrorists to Gaza.
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Ra'anan family together before members were abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 2023
Other than one officer from the IDF who gave us an update about the hostages, no one from the government spoke to them, he said. "We had four meetings with senior American officials, including the president but no one from here visited or met with us," he said. "We expect the hostages to be a top priority. This is the most basic contract with citizens and what my father had fought for in the 1967 Six-Day War and in 1973. The citizens come first."
On Thursday, Veteran NBC correspondent and Author Martin Fletcher who was for years a senior correspondent in Israel to Israel and had spent decades covering the Middle East, said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, that Judith and Natalie Ra'anan were relatives and had been in Israel celebrating the birthday of their 85-year-old grandmother. Breaking down in tears, Fletcher said this was personal to him and that the two were last seen tied up and taken by the terrorists.
Fletcher said Israel claimed releasing the hostages was its first priority but he believed it was only the second priority after the military's intention to destroy Hamas.
The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said Friday she is doing well following two weeks in captivity. Uri Raanan of Illinois told the Associated Press that he spoke to his daughter Friday by telephone. "She's doing good. She's doing very good," he said. "I'm in tears, and I feel very, very good," he said. adding that knowing Natalie may be able to celebrate her 18th birthday next week at home with family and friends feels "wonderful. The best news,"Uri Raanan said.