A spokesperson for the family of the two American hostages who were freed by Hamas on Friday declared that they will not be celebrating until the eight other members of their family and the estimated 192 other hostages kidnapped by Hamas are freed.
The American mother and daughter – 59-year-old Judith Tai Raanan and 17-year-old Natalie Raanan – were released on Friday by their Hamas captors and handed over to Israeli officials with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Judith, a aesthetician from Evanston, Illinois, and Natalie, a recent graduate of Deerfield High School, were in Israel to visit their family members at Kibbutz Nahal Oz for the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, when they were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during the surprise attack on October 7.
Uri Raanan, Natalie’s father, told the Associated Press that the freed mother and daughter will hopefully be back in the United States next week.
But the family’s relief is tempered by the fact that eight other members of their family remain captives of Hamas.
The Times of Israel reports:
“The release of Judith and Natalie is a moment of extraordinary relief – far beyond anything we…
