Officials confirmed on Friday that Judith and Natalie Ra'anan, taken hostage by Hamas and freed by the terror group into the hands of the Red Cross, were safely back in Israel. A Hamas spokesperson said an American mother and her daughter would be freed - "for humanitarian reasons" in response to Qatari mediation efforts.
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The two had recently moved to Israel from Chicago, hoping to settle down permanently. While searching for a home, they temporarily stayed in a guest apartment at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, close to their relatives. But then, Hamas terrorists struck.
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."
Bloomberg quoted officials who were in the know, saying that the U.S. and some European countries pressured Israel to delay their move into Gaza to "buy time," while Qatar was negotiating the release of hostages and Israel ultimately agreed. They said that Hamas was showing a willingness to release some of the hostages without demanding Israel free Palestinian prisoners in return
A spokesperson for the Hamas Press Office said the Gaza rulers want the Rafah border crossing to remain open indefinitely to allow the transport of aid and the passage of the ifermed to hospitals in Egypt, for treatment. It is the first indication of the terror group's demand in exchange for the release of the mother and daughter.
Veteran NBC correspondent and Author Martin Fletcher who had been assigned to Israel and had spent many years covering the Middle East, said in an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, that the two were relatives of his wife 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.
The organization of families of hostages Bring Them Home Now said they were pleased that two of the hostages were released. "Holding hostages is a war crime. Hundreds of families expect the help of leaders in the Arab world, after the heinous acts carried out by Hamas, shocked the entire world," they said.
Earlier on Friday, a group of family members of hostages stood outside the Red Cross in Geneva holding the pictures of their relatives in Hamas captivity. Assaf Shem Tov clutched a picture of his 21-year-old nephew, abducted from the music festival near the border, and called on the international community to step up efforts to free Israeli hostages.
"I think that we need the Red Cross to first of all visit the hostages, make sure that they are well treated," he said. "Make sure that they get human rights, and act as fast as possible for them to come back home."
Reuters contributed to this report