In light of the Israel-Palestine conflict, President Joe Biden has voiced his pleasure and happiness for the release of two American captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan, by Hamas. He promised that returning the mother-daughter duo safely home was a ” higher priority” right now. As per The Daily Mail , the two captives were abducted by Hamas militants while on a birthday trip to Israel. Following the initial news break on Friday, the White House said that Biden had held a conversation with the Raanans and their relatives early in the evening. “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,” the president stated in the officially released statement.
More Americans are reportedly being kept captive in Gaza, according to Biden’s remarks. “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,” Biden also added in the statement. “I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work,” Biden said. According to Abu Ubaida, a representative for the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, the Raanans were freed ‘for humanitarian reasons’ in response to efforts by Qatar to mediate a settlement. According to certain reports, Judith Ranaan’s health deteriorated following her kidnapping. After being turned over to the Israelis at an Egyptian border crossing near the Gaza Strip, Judith and Natalie are currently traveling to a military base in the center of Israel, where relatives are waiting for them.
The mother and daughter are linked to Martin Fletcher’s wife, an NBC journalist, who broke down in tears when discussing their kidnapping. “They were last seen, their hands tied, being dragged away by the Hamas terrorists. So it’s personal, it’s real, and nobody is confident that it’s possible to get them back alive. Of course, everybody’s hoping,” Fletcher had told the network’s Stephanie Ruhle. Fletcher had spoken emotionally in front of the media: “Hamas is using the hostages for psychological warfare.’ He described the conflict as a ‘very personal thing. Nobody is confident that it’s possible to get them back alive,” he had solemnly added.
“As president, there is no higher priority for me than the safety of Americans held hostage,” Biden had declared during Thursday night’s speech, adding, “We’re pursuing every avenue to bring their loved ones home.” In his statement on Friday, he restated that argument. “Jill and I have been keeping all the families of missing Americans very close to our hearts,” he remarked.