Gaza's Hamas rulers on Friday, October 20, released two American hostages, from about 200 people abducted in attacks by the militant group in Israel on October 7, Israel and the militant group said. Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan were in Israeli hands late Friday, the Israeli government said.
No details were given on their condition but US President Joe Biden quickly said he was "overjoyed" at the news. Hamas said it was working with Qatar and Egypt to free "civilian" hostages, in a sign that more releases could follow. Qatar confirmed its role and said it hoped more releases could be agreed.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Qatar had played a key role in the release by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of the hostages. "This is a very good outcome obtained by the negotiators, in which Qatar played a very important role," Macron told a group of reporters, adding he did not rule out travelling to the region in the "next days" depending on his talks with regional leaders.
Pour obtenir la libération de deux otages américains, le Qatar a joué un rôle déterminant. Je veux saluer sa mobilisation.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 20, 2023
Nous allons maintenir nos efforts pour obtenir la libération des otages français.
Israel says 203 people, both Israelis and foreigners, were abducted by Hamas gunmen when they launched the worst attacks since Israel's creation in 1948. At least 1,400 people were killed, mostly civilians on the day of the attack, according to Israeli officials. Israel has responded with a relentless bombing campaign against the Gaza Strip that has left at least 4,137 people dead, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
"In response to Qatari efforts, (Ezzedine) al-Qassam Brigades released two American citizens for humanitarian reasons," Hamas said in a Friday statement. The American mother and daughter were seized from the Nahal Oz kibbutz near the Israel-Gaza border on October 7. They were reportedly on holiday in Israel at the time.
The release came two days after Biden made a solidarity visit to Israel to offer support over the attack. "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," Biden said in a Friday statement.
Qatar is a major donor of aid to Gaza and two Hamas leaders are based in the Gulf state. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman said the country had mediated between Hamas and the United States and that the release followed "many days of continuous communication between all the parties involved. "We will continue our dialogue with both the Israelis and Hamas, and we hope these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages from every nationality, with the ultimate aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace," said the spokesman, Majid Al-Ansari.
The hostages have become a major issue for the Israeli government with the families launching high-profile campaigns to secure international action for their release. The Israeli military said Friday that most of those abducted to Gaza were still alive even though some dead bodies have been found on incursions into Gaza. The military said more than 20 hostages were minors, while between 10 and 20 were over the age of 60. There are also between 100 and 200 people considered missing since the Hamas attacks, the army added.