Judith and Natalie Raanan of Illinois were visiting Israel for a family birthday and the High Holy Days when they were taken captive by the militant group Oct. 7.
JERUSALEM — Hamas released two American hostages on Friday, U.S. and Israeli officials said, the first of the at least 200 captives the militant group has held since it rampaged through Israeli towns two weeks ago.The mother and daughter, released to the Red Cross in Gaza, were transferred to an Israeli military team and escorted to an army base in Israel to be reunited with their family members, officials said.
Hamas said it was attempting to undercut Biden’s portrayal of the group as a depraved terrorist organization, a characterization the president reiterated less than 24 hours earlier in, said U.S. officials and their allies were “working around-the-clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas.” He pledged to continue pushing for the release of all still being held.
Israeli strikes have killed 4,137 people in Gaza and wounded more than 13,200, Palestinian officials say. At least 1,400 people in Israel have been killed and more than 4,500 injured since the Oct. 7 attack, Israeli officials say. Hamas, rampaging through villages and kibbutz settlements, took more than 200 people hostage.
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