A few hours after two American citizens who were held hostage in Gaza for almost two weeks were released into Israeli custody, their family spoke out.
Two Illinois residents, identified as mother and daughter Judith Tai Raanan and Natalie Shoshana Raanan, were released Friday after spending 13 days in Hamas custody following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attacks on Oct. 7, according to NBC News. The couple were staying in a kibbutz in southern Israel when Hamas attacked and they were taken hostage.
On Friday, hours after the Raanans’ release, Judith’s ex-husband and Natalie’s father, Uri Raanan, spoke to the media and said he had spoken to his daughter and that “she sounds very good.”
“It looks really good. She was very happy. And she’s waiting for her to come home,” added Uri about the 17-year-old.
As for Judith, 59, he said she “has a little scratch on her arm, but she told me it’s nothing. She’s fine.”
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Uri said he has also been in contact with President Joe Biden and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, thanking both of them for their efforts to bring his family members home.
He said of Biden, “He was very, very nice.”
Uri added that he hopes his ex-wife and daughter will be back home by next week — just in time to celebrate the special occasion.
“I hope to see them next week. Next week is Natalie’s birthday, the 24th. And we’re going to celebrate her birthday here in my home.”
He also said that he would finally be able to sleep well after two weeks of worry. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said.
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In a statement, Biden confirmed the pair’s release and thanked “the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership” in ensuring the safe transfer of the two women.
“From the earliest moments of this attack, we have worked around the clock to free American citizens held hostage by Hamas, and we have not stopped our efforts to secure the release of those still in custody,” Biden said. continuation of the statement.
“Jill and I hold all the families of missing Americans in our hearts. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week, we won’t stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”
NBC correspondent Martin Fletcher said during an appearance on The eleventh hour with Stephanie Ruhle On Thursday, he said the two women – whom he did not name at the time – were members of his wife’s family.
“We are talking about six degrees of separation. So Israel is a tiny country with only one or two degrees of separation,” Fletcher said. “I just found out today that two of my wife’s family members are among the hostages.”
Judith and Natalie Raanan were safely transferred to Israeli custody on Friday after spending almost two weeks as Hamas hostages.
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He continued: “So we know that what we found out about Hamas, that they were told to kill the difficult ones and use the rest as human shields. So this is very personal.”
“They’re from Evanston, Illinois. They’re American. They were visiting their grandmother for her 85th birthday. And they were last seen with their hands tied, being dragged away by Hamas terrorists,” he said.
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Hamas confirmed the release of the Ranaans in a statement, according to CNN.
“In response to Qatari efforts, the 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 of Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless,” it said. press release, according to the release.
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