They are flanked by IDF soldiers, and holding the hands of Gal Hirsch, the special coordinator for returning hostages, who walks between them.
The first photo of Judith and Natalie Raanan — the mother and teenage daughter freed Friday after being held hostage by Hamas — was released by the Israeli government.
In the image, they are walking, flanked by two Israeli soldiers, and holding the hands of Gal Hirsch, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s special coordinator for returning hostages, who walks between them.
Their condition is still unknown, though they are getting “necessary medical treatment,” according to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. The two also spoke to US President Joe Biden, who has called for privacy for the family. WHEN DID HE SAY THIS
Judith and Natalie Raanan, from Evanston, Illinois, were in Israel to celebrate the recent Jewish holidays. They were at the Nhal Oz kibbutz on October 7, when militants from Hamas attacked southern towns, kibbutzim, and a music festival, killing at least 1,400.
The two are the first of roughly 200 hostages from multiple countries — including other missing Americans believed to be held by Hamas — to be released.
