Israeli officials have confirmed to newsmen that two American hostages who’s names were given as Judith and Natalie Raanan have been released by Hamas amid the ongoing hostilities.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the mother and daughter were on the 7th of October taken hostage of by Hamas at Kibbutz Nahal Oz, in southern Israel.
The BBC quoted a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirming that the two US hostages, mother Judith Raanan and daughter Natalie, were ‘released from the hands of the terrorist organization Hamas’.
The statement added that Brigadier General Gal Hirsch and other security forces ‘received them at the border of the Gaza Strip and that at this moment they are on their way to a meeting point at a military base in the centre of the country, where their family members are waiting for them’.
There are still close to 200 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
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US President Joe Biden, in a statement said he is “overjoyed,” saying that they would soon be reunited with their family.
He said US citizens held hostage by Hamas since 7 October had “endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days”, adding that they would have the full support of the US government as they “recover and heal”.
Biden thanked both the Qatari and Israel governments for working together to secure their release, and said his government was working “around the clock” to free US citizens taken hostage by Hamas.
‘As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.’
In another report, the United Nations announced on Friday that the delivery of first aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to be done within the “next day or so.”
‘We are in deep and advanced negotiations with all relevant sides to ensure that an aid operation in Gaza starts as quickly as possible… a first delivery is due to start in the next day or so,’ the UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said, quoted by his spokesman Jens Laerke in Geneva.