Hamas Releases 2 American Hostages to Disprove 'False' Claims by the 'Fascist' Biden Administration, Spokesperson Says
Oct. 20 2023, Published 2:55 p.m. ET
Hamas militants released two American hostages for "humanitarian reasons" on Friday, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The hostages, a mother and daughter, were kidnapped from Israel during the October 7 attack. The mother's health is reportedly in poor condition.
A Hamas spokesperson released a statement to the Times of Israel regarding the hostages release.
"In response to Qatari efforts, 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 made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless," the statement read.
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According to CNN, a source familiar with the release said the hostages were with members of the Red Cross and "on their way out" of Gaza. It remains unclear whether the group will leave Gaza into Israel or Egypt.
While the identities of the released hostages have yet to be confirmed, the Times of Israel previously reported that American mother-daughter duo Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie were believed to be among those kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz over two weeks ago.
The pair's rabbi, Meir Hecht, told the outlet that the mother and daughter traveled from Chicago to Israel for a "really special" trip to celebrate a friend's birthday and observe the Jewish holidays when the Hamas attacked.
The Americans were among the 199 hostages captured and taken into Gaza by Hamas during the October 7 attacks. The Israeli military said that majority of those taken by the militants are still alive.
Israeli officials vowed to obliterate Hamas in their effort to retrieve hostages, whom they believed were being held underground in a vast tunnel system controlled and used by Hamas.
Hamas offered at one point to exchange hostages for 6,000 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and additionally claimed that Israeli airstrikes killed 20 hostages, though they provided no further details on the claim.
As details of the Americans release remain uncertain, Gazans desperately waited for humanitarian aid to be brought in from the Egyptian border after Israel cut off water, food, fuel and electricity services to the area in response to the Hamas attacks.
Within a few hours on October 7, Hamas militants killed 1,400 Israelis in a brutal raid of southern Israel.
Tragic video footage taken from a music festival captured chaos unfold as innocent Israelis and tourists fled for safety.