
UN secretary-general extends gratitude to HH the Amir for the release of American mother and daughter

Two recently freed American hostages, a woman from the Chicago area and her teenage daughter, were successfully reunited with their family in Israel on Friday. This reunion took place nearly two weeks after they, along with numerous others, were abducted by Hamas gunmen near Gaza.
Judith Tai Raanan, aged 59, and her 17-year-old daughter, Natalie, were handed over to Israeli authorities at the Gaza Strip border on Friday. This marks the first confirmed release by Hamas during the recent Arab-Israeli conflict. Relatives in Illinois celebrated the safe return of the Raanans, and Natalie Raanan's uncle, Avraham Zamir, expressed their joy while acknowledging that many families still have loved ones in captivity.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended his appreciation to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for his valuable efforts in facilitating the liberation of two American citizens from the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Qatar and Israel for their cooperation in securing the Raanans' freedom. He confirmed speaking with them by telephone and shared a photo from that conversation on the social media platform X. Hamas also released a video showing the women being transferred to workers from the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC). Hamas stated that the release of the two women, who were reported as dual Israeli-American nationals, was done "for humanitarian reasons" in response to Qatari mediation.
American and British officials, in collaboration with Qatar, have been actively working to secure the release of various hostages, including citizens from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries, such as Thailand, Argentina, Germany, France, and Portugal, who were taken captive in Gaza.
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