Two American hostages were released by Hamas on Friday evening, Israel confirmed, although their well-being is not known.
Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, mother and daughter, were released and will be reunited with their family in Israel.
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"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," an Israeli government account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, said on Friday night local time. "They are on their way to an army base in central Israel where their families are anxiously waiting to greet them. We will do everything in our power to bring the rest of the hostages home."
The Gaza-based terrorist group kidnapped about 200 people during the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel. Many of those people are civilians who live in the communities near the border with Gaza. The United States has said a small number of Americans are among the hostages, and the U.S. is assisting Israel's efforts to get them back.
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.
— Israel ישראל ???????? (@Israel) October 20, 2023
They are on their way to an army base in central Israel were their families are anxiously… pic.twitter.com/xCGFfVEQa1
It's unclear if Israel agreed to any concessions in exchange for their freedom or whether Hamas would release additional hostages.
"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," Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida said in a statement.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson told the Washington Examiner they have "no comment on that matter."
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Hamas has also threatened to broadcast the executions of the hostages. Another terrorist organization based in Gaza, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, is said to be holding a smaller number of hostages. PIJ was involved in Hamas's terrorist attacks on Oct. 7.
In October 2011, Hamas released an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, whom it held captive for five years. Israel agreed to free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Shalit’s freedom.