Hamas has released two American citizens who have been held hostage in the Gaza Strip. At the same time, Israel is facing increasing pressure to delay its plan to invade Gaza in order to have time for diplomatic efforts.
This release is the first time that the Islamic extremist group Hamas, which controls this enclave, has released some of the hostages of approximately 200 hostages taken by armed militants. More than 1400 Israelis were killed in the attack on October 7th. Citizens from 41 countries were killed or missing in the attack, marking an unprecedented cross-border invasion by armed militants in Gaza.
In a photo released by the Israeli government, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie are depicted.
Israel has confirmed that the released hostages are Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, who were visiting relatives in Kibzna Haroz at the time of the attack. They come from Evanston, Illinois, located in the suburbs of Chicago.
Qatar helped facilitate their release. Qatar's Foreign Minister Majid al Ansari stated that Qatar will continue its dialogue with Israel and Hamas, hoping that these efforts will lead to the release of civilian hostages of all nationalities.
US and foreign officials say that at the same time, the US and European governments are jointly pressuring Israel to delay its ground invasion of Gaza in order to have more time to fight for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
In recent days, the two sides have exchanged some suggestions, including a temporary ceasefire, Israel restoring water supply to Gaza, and strengthening humanitarian aid to the area. According to officials familiar with the negotiations, the agreement between the United States, Israel, and Qatar, which could have released 50 hostages, has broken down.
Analysts say the release of the two hostages on Friday will increase pressure on both Israel and Hamas to negotiate further agreements.