As Israel ground invasion set to start, Hamas releases 2 American hostages
Two Americans taken hostage in the Hamas invasion of Israel have been released. The hostages freed on Friday October 20 have been identified as Chicago-area residents Judith Tai Raanan and her teenage daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, 17. The two were kidnapped by Hamas while visiting southern Israel during the October 7 massacre of innocent civilians at the hands of Hamas. As America rejoices over this small victory, at least 10 other Americans remain unaccounted for and in total the terrorist organization, Hamas, has 200 hostages, and is responsible for the death of 1,400.
The White House released the following statement in response to the news. “Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7. 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. These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.”
President Biden stated he is making the release of the rest of the hostages his top priority and stated he will work day and night to make it happen. “From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around the clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held. I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work. Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week—we will not stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”
Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken rejoiced at the release of two Americans but stated the remaining 10 Americans unaccounted for are a continued priority.
“But there are still 10 additional Americans who remain unaccounted for in this conflict. We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas, along with an estimated 200 other hostages held in Gaza. They include men, women, young boys, young girls, elderly people from many nations. Every single one of them should be released.”
Blinken reiterated the United State’s position that they must be released immediately and unconditionally, no questions asked.
GOP Presidential nominee hopeful took the opportunity to speak out concerning Biden’s weak policies that has led to global conflict. Haley also warned Biden “not to fall for it” referring to Hamas releasing two hostages in hopes of appeasing favors with the United States and preventing the full-scale attack by Israel in Gaza.
Ron DeSantis also shared how he is opposing and resisting taxpayer dollars being sent anywhere near the Gaza Strip for aid to the people. The Biden Administration announced $100MM in humanitarian aid, that he believes will never make it to the people of Gaza if sent to both sides.