A mother and daughter from the Chicago area who were visiting family in Israel are among the Americans missing and feared kidnapped by Hamas terrorists, relatives said.
Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Raanan were in Nahal Oz, a small village near the Gaza Strip, when Hamas invaded and destroyed multiple towns on Saturday, taking more than 150 people hostage, CNN reports.
Judith’s brother and Natalie’s father said neither has heard from the duo and fear they were abducted by the terrorists following harrowing video and images of Hamas kidnapping women during their coordinated assault.
“My daughter and her mother has been [captured] by the HAMAS,” father Uri Raanan said in a desperate Facebook post.
Adi Leviatan, Judith’s brother, told CNN that his sister and niece had arrived in Israel last Monday, but he has not heard from them once since the weekend’s violence.
The family has remained in touch with the US Embassy, which is working to confirm the status of Americans currently reported missing in Israel.
President Biden has confirmed that at least 11 Americans were killed by Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, but officials have yet to say how many US citizens are missing. Earlier Monday, the State Department had said there were nine known American casualties.
“We can confirm that there are unaccounted-for US citizens, and we are working with our Israeli partners to determine their whereabouts,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Neither the Americans killed in the conflict nor those missing have been identified by US officials.
The State Department did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Officials have said a team of US veterans is preparing to fly out to help rescue the trapped Americans in Israel, with the Embassy urging US citizens to prepare for emergency evacuations.