The two hostages, a 17-year-old girl and her mother, from Chicago, were released Friday evening by Hamas, after mediation by Qatar.
A “glimmer of hope”, salutes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Two American women detained by Hamas for almost two weeks were released on the evening of Friday, October 20. The ICRC has “transported the hostages from Gaza to Israel”, specifies the NGO in a press release. This is the first hostage release confirmed by both Israel and Hamas. “Two of our hostages have returned home”rejoiced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
US President Joe Biden said he “overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their families”. His French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, also reacted, emphasizing “the determining role” of Qatar in the release of the two women. The French president also reaffirmed his desire to continue to negotiate “to obtain the release of the French hostages” detained in Gaza. Here is what we know about this release.
A mother and her 17-year-old daughter released
The two ex-hostages had been held by Hamas since the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israel on October 7. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Judith and Natalie Raanan, a mother and her daughter were visiting relatives on Kibbutz Nahal Oz when they were kidnapped. Aged 59 and 17, the two women came to celebrate Natalie’s graduation and her grandmother’s 85th birthday, Tamar Ranaan, resident of the kibbutz, reports the BBC. The latter, as well as her partner, survived the Hamas attack by hiding in a safe room in their house, specifies the BBC. Lhe half-brother of Natalie Raanan shares his “immense joy” and its “gratitude to the great community of people around the world who have put my sister at the forefront of their thoughts, prayers, of all religions and beliefs.”
A release negotiated with Qatar
According to Emmanuel Macron, this release owes a lot to Qatar, a country close to Hamas. “This is a very good result obtained by the negotiators in which Qatar played a very important role”welcomed the French president. In Doha, the spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, Majid Al-Ansari, also welcomed this “advanced”Who “comes after several days of continuous communication between all parties involved”. “We will continue our dialogue with the Israelis and Hamas, and we hope that these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages of all nationalities”he also added.
After the negotiations, it was the International Committee of the Red Cross which was responsible for transporting the two women released by Hamas to safety. In a video published by the Palestinian Islamist movement, Judith and Natalie Raanan are handed over to an ICRC employee, before getting into a car adorned with the NGO’s logo. Thanks to this mediation, the two women were able to leave the Gaza Strip and reach Israel, where they quickly spoke on the phone with Joe Biden. The American president said “overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their families”.
“Humanitarian reasons” invoked by Hamas
For its part, Hamas claims that the two hostages have been released “for humanitarian reasons”. Saccording to the military spokesperson of the Palestinian Islamist movement, their release aims “to prove to the American people and the entire world that the allegations made by [Joe] Biden and his fascist administration [au sujet du Hamas] are unfounded”.
A statement very poorly received by Israel. “Hamas claims to the world to have released these women whom it had taken hostage for humanitarian reasons, whereas it is a murderous terrorist organization which is currently holding infants, children, women and the elderlyreacted Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israeli army.
Israel has not provided an explanation for the release of these two Americans. This release comes 48 hours after Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, during which the Jewish state finally authorized humanitarian aid to enter Gaza from Egypt. The Israeli army, however, has not confirmed any passage of humanitarian aid in exchange for these releases.
More than 200 hostages still held
According to the Israeli army’s count, 210 hostages are still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Islamist movement, for its part, claims to hold “between 200 and 250” hostages. According to him, 22 hostages were also killed in Israeli bombings.
The hostages identified are of 22 different nationalities: American, German, British, Argentinian and even French… According to the latest report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 30 French nationals were killed in the Hamas attack and seven others are still missing, with “a presumption of hostage taking”.
“Young Mia Shem is the only one whose hostage status is confirmed. For the other six, there is a presumption of hostage-taking, but without certainty”, said Emmanuel Macron. As the first proof of life, images of the Franco-Israeli, Mia Shem, were publicly released by Hamas on October 16. After the publication of this video, the French president called “to his immediate and unconditional release”.