American mother and teenage daughter hostages released by Hamas

Hamas released two American hostages from captivity on Friday, two weeks after they were kidnapped and transported to Gaza by the Palestinian militant group during its rampage through southern Israel.

Judith Raanan, 59, and her daughter Natalie, 17, were released to the Red Cross and are now in the hands of the Israeli military, an army spokesperson said.

The pair were visiting Israel from Illinois for a relative’s birthday when they were taken captive, according to ABC News. Roughly 200 people were taken hostage and 1,400 killed during the 7 October attack, which prompted a devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza in response.

President Joe Biden confirmed the release in a statement on Friday in which he said the US government had been working “around-the-clock” to free American citizens held by Hamas.

“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” Mr Biden said, giving thanks to the governments of Qatar and Israel for their help in securing the release.

“As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world,” he added.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the release came after “many days of continuous communication” with all parties.

A statement released by Hamas on its Telegram channel said a mother and her daughter were released “in response to Qatari efforts.” It continued that the release was for “humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”

Israel responded to the massacre by bombarding the densely populated Gaza Strip with airstrikes and artillery fire, killing more than 4,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. It has vowed to wipe out Hamas in Gaza and has made preparations for a ground offensive into the territory.

Gaza is in the grips of a serious humanitarian crisis as a result of a “total siege” imposed on the 42-km long territory by the Israeli government, which cut off power, water, fuel and food to the 2.3 million people who live there.

Doctors Without Borders warned on Friday that Gaza’s healthcare system is “facing collapse”.