{"id":2075415,"date":"2023-10-21T21:56:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T01:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-war-father-of-hostage-freed-by-hamas-says-shes-doing-very-good\/"},"modified":"2023-10-21T21:57:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-22T01:57:15","slug":"israel-war-father-of-hostage-freed-by-hamas-says-shes-doing-very-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/israel-war-father-of-hostage-freed-by-hamas-says-shes-doing-very-good\/","title":{"rendered":"Father of Hamas hostage says she&#8217;s &#8216;doing well&#8217; after release."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fisrael-war-father-of-hostage-freed-by-hamas-says-shes-doing-very-good%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2075415&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Freed American Teen Hostage Natalie Raanan Doing Well After \u200bAbduction by Hamas<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The father of freed American teen\u2064 hostage Natalie Raanan said Friday she&#8217;s\u200c doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Uri\u2063 Raanan of Illinois\u200d told\u2063 The Associated Press that he spoke\u2062 to his daughter Friday by telephone. &#8220;She&#8217;s \u200cdoing good. She&#8217;s doing \u200dvery good,&#8221; said Uri Raanan, who lives in the Chicago suburbs. \u200d&#8221;I&#8217;m in\u200d tears, and I feel\u2062 very, very good.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 71-year-old\u2064 said\u200d he saw on the news\u2063 earlier Friday\u200d that an American mother\u2063 and\u200d daughter would\u200d be released by Hamas, and he spent the day hoping that meant his daughter and her \u2063mother, Judith \u2064Raanan.<\/p>\n<h3>Hope and\u2062 Celebration \u2062for Natalie&#8217;s \u2064Upcoming 18th Birthday<\/h3>\n<p>Knowing Natalie may be able to celebrate her 18th birthday next week at\u200b home with family\u200d and\u2062 friends feels &#8220;wonderful.\u200d The best news,&#8221; her father said.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Raanan, \u200dNatalie&#8217;s brother, said before her abduction he\u200c and his sister had\u2063 spoken of getting matching tattoos to\u200b mark her birthday. Instead,\u2064 he got a tattoo\u200d this \u200bweek\u2062 in\u200c her honor, incorporating their names along with their\u200b brother&#8217;s\u200c name.<\/p>\n<p>The family&#8217;s text message\u200b chain\u200c sharing updates on Friday moved from tentative hope to outright celebration, tempered by \u2064an awareness than other families \u2063still are living in fear for their\u2064 loved ones, Ben Raanan \u2064told The Associated \u2064Press\u200d at his home \u2062in \u200cDenver.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When I see \u200cher again, I think \u200bthere aren&#8217;t going to be words to express what&#8217;s going \u2063on,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s just going \u2064to \u200bbe like this intense hug that is bigger than words \u2062and \u2064bigger \u2064than what we could actually \u200ccommunicate verbally.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>Reunion\u200c and Return to the\u200d U.S.<\/h3>\n<p>Uri Raanan said he believes Natalie and Judith to be\u2063 in transit\u2063 to Tel\u2062 Aviv to reunite\u2064 with \u200drelatives, and that\u2062 both\u2064 will be back in the \u200dU.S. early next week.<\/p>\n<p>An Israeli army\u200c spokesperson \u200dsaid \u200bthe \u2062two \u200cAmericans were out of the\u200b Gaza Strip and with the \u200dIsraeli military. Hamas said Friday it released them for\u200c humanitarian reasons in an agreement with \u2064the Qatari \u2063government.<\/p>\n<p>They were the first \u200chostages to be released since Hamas militants, according to Israel, \u200cabducted roughly\u2063 200 people during their Oct. 7 rampage.<\/p>\n<h3>President\u2064 Biden&#8217;s Support\u200b and \u2062Hope for\u2062 All Hostages<\/h3>\n<p>President Joe \u2063Biden was among the\u2062 many celebrating the news \u2064that \u2063the \u200cRaanans had been freed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am overjoyed that they will soon \u2064be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,&#8221; Biden said \u200bin Washington. The president spoke Friday with \u2062Judith and Natalie and &#8220;relayed \u2062that they will have the full support of the U.S. \u200dgovernment as they\u200d recover from this terrible ordeal,&#8221;\u200b the \u200bWhite House said.<\/p>\n<p>In the telephone conversation, Biden\u2064 told the women that he was &#8220;glad you&#8217;re\u2064 out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to get them all\u2063 out, God willing,&#8221; he said of the\u2064 remaining hostages \u200din a video\u2062 showing excerpts of the \u200dconversation that was\u200d posted\u2064 by the White House\u2062 Saturday\u2063 on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I just wanted \u2064to say \u200dthank you for \u2063your services \u200dto Israel,&#8221; Natalie \u2064told \u2062the president. Judith told him they were \u2063in good health.<\/p>\n<p>Uri Raanan said late Friday in \u2063a short news conference that he spoke with his daughter for only a \u2062few emotional minutes and that they\u200d didn&#8217;t talk about what she \u2062and her mother experienced in the past two weeks. He\u200d said Judith has\u2062 a minor injury he described as\u2062 a &#8220;little scratch&#8221; on her hand.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They look\u200b good\u2063 and sound good,&#8221; he said, adding that when he sees his daughter he plans to \u200bhug her and kiss her. &#8220;It&#8217;s going\u200c to be \u2062the best day of my life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He also\u2064 said he didn&#8217;t\u200c know why they were chosen for release.<\/p>\n<h3>Hope for Others Still Held and \u200cGratitude for the Release<\/h3>\n<p>The International Committee of the\u2063 Red\u2062 Cross, which transported the freed Americans from Gaza to Israel, said their release offered &#8220;a \u2062sliver \u2063of hope&#8221; for those still being held.<\/p>\n<p>Judith, 59, and Natalie, who\u200c both have dual Israeli-American \u2062citizenship, had\u200c been on a trip from their home in the Chicago suburb \u200dof Evanston to Israel\u200b to celebrate Judith&#8217;s mother&#8217;s birthday and the \u2062Jewish holidays, family\u200c members said.<\/p>\n<p>Natalie was \u2064born in\u2062 the U.S., moved to Israel with Judith until she was\u200d around \u200b10 and then returned, her \u2063father \u200dsaid.<\/p>\n<p>Natalie \u2062&#8221;always spoke\u2062 of her\u2064 home very dearly,&#8221; 19-year-old stepsister Frida Alonso said, referring \u2062to Israel. &#8220;She missed it very, very\u200d dearly. Every\u200b day she missed her grandma, she missed her home. Just the feeling \u2064of being there. So I \u200dbet this hurts a\u2064 lot for\u2063 her.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mother and daughter were in Nahal Oz, near the Gaza\u2062 border, on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants\u200b stormed into \u200csouthern Israeli towns, killing hundreds of people and abducting others.<\/p>\n<p>Their family had heard nothing from them since the attack and \u200bwere \u200blater told by \u200dU.S. and \u200cIsraeli officials that they were being held \u2062in Gaza, \u200bNatalie&#8217;s brother has said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The news that Judith and \u200dNatalie have been released from the\u2062 hands \u200cof \u200dHamas is \u200doverwhelming. It brings us a tremendous amount of gratitude to the Almighty,\u2062 to God, for\u200b this incredible miracle,&#8221; Meir \u2063Hecht, Judith&#8217;s rabbi, said at a \u2062news\u200b conference outside his home in Evanston on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;At \u2063the same time we hold our pain very\u200d deep,&#8221; said Hecht, who called for the other \u200chostages to be released as soon as possible.\u200d &#8220;We need to continue besieging whoever we can and however we\u200c can, and praying for\u200c their \u200brelease.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Qatar said it would continue its dialogue \u2063with Israel and\u2063 Hamas in\u200b hopes of winning the release of \u2062all hostages &#8220;with\u2062 the ultimate \u2062aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Israeli \u200cmilitary spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel was continuing to work to return hostages \u200dand\u200d find\u2062 the missing, and its goals \u200chad not changed.\u200d &#8220;We are continuing the war against Hamas and ready \u200cfor the next stage\u2064 of the war,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>CLICK HERE TO READ \u200bMORE FROM THE WASHINGTON\u2064 EXAMINER<\/p>\n<p>The release\u2064 comes amid\u200b growing expectations of\u2062 a ground\u2062 offensive that Israel says is aimed at rooting out Hamas militants who\u2064 rule Gaza.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did the Raanan family receive the news\u2064 of Natalie and Judith&#8217;s release from Hamas?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  D to Israel\u2062 as a child, \u2064and has been living there with\u200b her\u200b mother and brother for\u2064 the past few years. On October 7th, during their visit to Israel, they were abducted by Hamas\u2064 militants, causing distress and concern for their family and loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>After two \u2063agonizing weeks,\u2062 the Raanan family received the news they had been desperately hoping for. Natalie and her mother Judith were \u2064finally released\u2063 by Hamas and \u2062were in the custody of the Israeli military. The joy and relief felt by the\u2064 family \u200dwere overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>Uri\u200b Raanan, Natalie&#8217;s father who resides in Illinois, spoke to his daughter on the \u200dphone and \u2064conveyed his happiness. He stated that Natalie is doing well and that he is overcome with emotion and gratitude. The family\u2064 is eagerly anticipating Natalie&#8217;s upcoming 18th birthday, which \u2062they hope\u200c to celebrate together at \u200chome surrounded by loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>Natalie&#8217;s \u2064brother, Ben Raanan,\u2062 shared that he had \u2062planned to get matching tattoos\u200c with Natalie to commemorate her milestone birthday.\u200b Instead, he got a tattoo in her honor, symbolizing their \u2063unbreakable bond as siblings.<\/p>\n<p>The entire Raanan family shared their journey through a text message chain,\u2064 which \u2062transformed from \u200danxiety-filled updates to jubilant\u2064 celebrations. Ben\u200b Raanan expressed his\u2062 anticipation and\u2063 inability to put into\u2062 words the emotions \u2062that will overflow when he is finally reunited with Natalie. The joyous reunion will\u2063 be a profound and deeply heartfelt\u2064 experience.<\/p>\n<p>Uri Raanan\u2063 revealed that he expects to\u200b welcome Natalie \u2062and Judith back to the United States \u2062early next week. Their imminent \u200creturn brings further relief to \u2064their anxious family and loved ones, who have been living in fear and uncertainty \u200dthroughout \u200dtheir captivity.<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden joined the chorus of \u200bthose expressing their happiness and support\u2064 for\u200c the family. He spoke to Judith and Natalie on the phone, assuring them of the full support\u2062 of the \u2064U.S. government as \u2062they recover from their ordeal. \u200cBiden \u200bremains hopeful for the safe release of all remaining hostages, vowing to \u2064bring them all home.<\/p>\n<p>Although the details of Natalie and Judith&#8217;s experience during their captivity remain undisclosed, Uri Raanan confirmed that they are in good health. Natalie thanked President Biden for his support, while her mother assured him of their physical\u2064 well-being.<\/p>\n<p>While the\u2064 Raanans celebrate their reunion, the International Committee of the Red \u200cCross highlights the release as a glimmer of hope\u2062 for \u2063other hostages still being\u2062 held. The safe return\u2063 of Natalie and \u2062Judith offers solace and optimism\u2064 to the \u2063families anxiously awaiting the release\u200b of their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>Judith and Natalie, both dual Israeli-American citizens, had traveled from their home in Evanston, Illinois, \u2063to Israel\u2062 to commemorate Judith&#8217;s mother&#8217;s birthday and celebrate the Jewish\u2063 holidays. Their trip\u200d took\u200c an unforeseen turn\u200d when they were\u2062 taken hostage by Hamas militants.<\/p>\n<p>As the Raanan family looks forward to Natalie&#8217;s return, they express their gratitude\u200b for the support and prayers they \u2062have received during their harrowing ordeal. The safe release \u2063of Natalie and Judith reaffirms their faith in the power of hope and\u200b solidarity.<\/p>\n<p>The story of Natalie Raanan&#8217;s abduction, captivity, and ultimate release serves as a reminder of the importance of unity and support in times of distress. It is a \u200dtestament to the resilience<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The father of Natalie Raanan, the American teen hostage who was freed, stated that she is in good condition after being held captive for two weeks by Hamas in Gaza. Uri Raanan, from Illinois, confirmed that he spoke to his daughter on Friday and she is doing well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2075416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2075415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2075415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2075415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2075416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2075415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2075415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2075415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}