The family of freed Hamas hostages Judith and Natalie Raanan have told of their joy over the unexpected release of the American mother and daughter.
Judith’s ex-husband and 17-year-old Natalie’s father Uri Raanan tearfully described how he learned of their release in a phone call from the White House, adding: “The worst two weeks of my life just turned into the best day I’ve ever had.”
Mr. Raanan, 71, said he had also spoken by phone to his daughter and declared: “She’s doing good. She’s doing very good. I’m in tears and I feel very, very good.”
He said he had heard on TV news on Friday that an unnamed American mother and daughter were about to be released by Hamas – and then spent hours hoping and praying it would be Judith and Natalie.
Judith was reportedly in “poor health” while in custody and had been receiving treatment from the Red Cross prior to her and her daughter’s release, following negotiations brokered by Qatar.
Natalie’s step-brother Ben said he is now looking forward to celebrating her 18th birthday with her later this week and added: “When I see her again, I think there aren’t going to be words to express what’s going on.
“It’s just going to be like this intense hug that is bigger than words and bigger than what we could actually communicate verbally.”
Ben said he and his step-sister had intended to get matching tattoos for her birthday – but he got one in her honour, incorporating their names with that of another brother, last week “while praying I would see her again.”
The Raanans, who are expected to be flown home to the Chicago suburb of Evanston, Illinois later this week, were taken hostage two weeks ago when Hamas terrorists stormed Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where friends said they had been enjoying a “really special” trip to celebrate the 85th birthday of Judith’s mother and observe the Jewish holiday season.
In a statement, Hamas said of the decision to set them free: “In response to Qatari efforts, Al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens (a mother and her daughter) for humanitarian reasons and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”
Negotiations were continuing last night for the release continued last night for the release of 210 remaining hostages, including British and American citizens.
President Biden said he was “overjoyed” at the release of Judith and Natalie Raanan, and after speaking to them both by phone, vowed: “As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”
At the same time, in an exclusive interview in today’s Sunday Express, Israel’s UK Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely revealed that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spent “a lot of time” discussing rescue strategies for British and other captives of Hamas during his visit to Israel last week.
She added: “First and foremost is the issue of hostages. There are more than 200, including 30 kids, some very old and sick and in need of medicine, so part of the discussion was about hostages.”
Israeli officials yesterday confirmed the exact remaining number to be 210 as the Raanans were en route to a military base in central Israel.
A diplomatic source at the scene was quoted by CNN as saying that their release, following negotiations brokered by Qatar, “is hopefully the start of more to come.” The same source said there were “no exchanges” involved in the release.
Qatar pledged to continue its “dialogue” with Israel and Hamas in the hope of freeing all hostages “with the ultimate aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which transported the freed women across the border from Gaza to Israel, said in a statement that their release represents “a sliver of hope” for others being held captive.
But former FBI agent and hostage negotiator Christopher O’Leary warned yesterday that optimistic observers should be careful not to trust Hamas leaders’ claims that the Raanans were freed on “humanitarian” grounds.
He said: “They are doing this for calculated reasons. This was not a goodwill or good faith gesture. They are playing a long game with the hostages. They may be doing it to build some credibility in negotiations because right now they do not seem like a legitimate negotiator. Hamas does not have a humanitarian bone in its body.”
Former Department of State senior adviser Ron Holloway also warned: “It’s a chess move. That’s what it is in a game of multi-dimensional chess with an infinite board.” He added that the release represents only “the opening of a negotiation.”
French President Emmanuel Macron described the hostage release as “a very good result” and expressed hope it will pave the way for others to be freed
