Who Are Judith and Natalie Raanan? American Hostages Released By Hamas

Islamist militant group Hamas has released an American mother and daughter who were taken hostage amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At least 200 hostages, including as many as 20 Americans, were taken by Hamas during its surprise October 7 attack on Israel, according to Reuters. Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said in a statement posted to Telegram on Friday that two of the hostages were released on "humanitarian" grounds following negotiations facilitated by Qatar.

"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 [President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless," wrote Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie Raanan of Evanston, Illinois had been released and were headed to an Israeli air base.

"Two of the hostages, mother and daughter Yehudit Tai and Natali Shoshana Raanan were released by the Hamas terror organization and were transferred to the Israeli border via the Red Cross," the ministry wrote in a message posted to X, formerly Twitter. "They are on their way to an army base in central Israel were their families are anxiously waiting to greet them. We will do everything in our power to bring the rest of the hostages home."

Newsweek reached out for comment to the U.S. Department of State via email on Friday.

Biden said in a statement on Friday that he was "overjoyed" with the hostage release and announced that the mother and daughter would "soon be reunited with their family."

"Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7," the president said. "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."

"These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment," he added.

Judith, 59, and Natalie, 18, were in Israel to celebrate an elderly relative's birthday and the Jewish holiday season and had been staying in a kibbutz raided by Hamas at the time of their capture, according to The Times of Israel.

Martin Fletcher, an Israeli-based former NBC correspondent who is distantly related to the Raanans, described the release of the mother and daughter as "a miracle."

"Obviously, [there is] a huge sigh of relief and, at the same time, concern that there are so many more hostages," Fletcher told MSNBC. "The family's rallied around them in an extraordinary manner, hoping that this would happen. And the fact that it actually happened is a miracle."

David Leitschuh, a former neighbor of the Raanans, also described the hostage release as "a miracle" in a post to Facebook.

"It appears that a miracle has occurred with the release of Judith and Natalie - praise God!!!" wrote Leitschuh. "Thank you to all of you who have been so faithful in prayer for Judith and Natalie's well-being and now against all odds, an apparent safe return. Please continue your prayers for all the many other hostages held by the terrorists and people of Israel."

Update 10/20/23 4:39 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional comment.