The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 23, 2023

American Israeli Mother and Daughter Are First Two Hamas Hostages Released
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two American Israelis taken hostage on October 7 have been released by
Hamas. Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, both from Chicago, were
released by Hamas to the Red Cross Friday and returned to Israel from
Gaza, following a deal brokered by the government of Qatar. They are
reportedly in good health. Over the weekend, a spokesperson for Hamas
said the group offered to release two Israelis on humanitarian grounds,
only to have Israel's government refuse the offer. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office dismissed the claim as "mendacious
propaganda." Israel's military says it believes 212 people are being
held as hostages in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has reportedly advised Israel to
delay an anticipated ground invasion of Gaza in order to allow more time
for further hostage negotiations.


.