Hamas freed an American woman and her teenage daughter on October 20. The women were held hostage for nearly two weeks in Gaza. They are the first to be released from among roughly 200 people the militant group kidnapped from Israel on October 7.
Judith Raanan, 59, and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, both have dual Israeli-American citizenship. The pair traveled from their Chicago home to visit relatives in Nahal Oz, Israel, in September. They wanted to celebrate Judith’s mother’s 85th birthday and Natalie’s high school graduation. The family also observed a Jewish holiday. Simchat Torah marks the completion of the annual reading of the Torah. The women were near Gaza when Hamas stormed into southern Israeli towns and took hostages.
Hamas said it released the Raanans for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the government of Qatar. The International Committee of the Red Cross transported the freed Americans from Gaza to Israel. It said their release offered “a sliver of hope” for those still being held. The Raanans should be back on U.S. soil early this week.
More than 1,400 people in Israel, mostly civilians, have died since Hamas’ initial attack. Hamas says over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Israel’s warplanes are currently striking targets in Hamas-ruled Gaza. A ground offensive looms on the horizon.
Meir Hecht is Judith Raanan’s rabbi. He spoke at a news conference outside his home in Evanston, Chicago, on Friday. “The news that Judith and Natalie have been released from the hands of Hamas is overwhelming. It brings us a tremendous amount of gratitude to the Almighty, to God, for this incredible miracle.” He urged continued efforts and prayers for the release of the remaining hostages.
“We’re going to get them all out, God willing,” President Biden said on Friday in a phone call to Judith and Natalie. Other countries whose citizens are captive include Thailand, Argentina, Germany, France, and Portugal.
Rescue those who are being taken away to death. Hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. — Proverbs 24:11
