Hamas releases American mother and daughter

Rafah, Palestinian Territories – AFP

Hamas released two Americans held in Gaza, offering a “sliver of hope” to desperate families, as Israel pounded the densely-populated territory where millions waited for promised aid deliveries on Saturday.

The Palestinian resistance group took more than 200 people prisoners when it stormed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, and killed at least 1,400 people, according to Israeli officials.

The fate of the prisoners has been shrouded in uncertainty, so the release of mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan offered a rare “sliver of hope”, said Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

US President Joe Biden said he was “overjoyed” by the release, which comes days after he visited Israel.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, and says around 1,500 of the group’s fighters were killed in clashes before its army regained control of the area under attack on October 7.

Biden said Friday he believes the attack was motivated partly by Saudi Arabia’s plan to recognise Israel.

Israel’s military campaign has levelled entire city blocks in Gaza, killing over 4,200 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israeli troops are massed on the border with Gaza ahead of an expected ground invasion that officials have pledged will begin “soon”.

– ‘Overwhelming sense of joy’ –

Biden said he had spoken to the released pair and promised US support “as they recover from this terrible ordeal”.

He thanked Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ political bureau, for its mediation in securing the release, and said he was working “around the clock” to win the return of other Americans being held.

Natalie Raanan’s half-brother Ben told the BBC he felt an “overwhelming sense of joy” at the release after “the most horrible of ordeals”.

Hamas said Egypt and Qatar had negotiated the release and it was “working with all mediators to implement the movement’s decision to close the civilian (hostage) file if appropriate security conditions allow”.

Israel’s military said Friday “the majority” of those taken are still alive.

In Gaza, Israeli jets continued a relentless bombing campaign, with the military saying it hit more than 100 Hamas targets overnight.

– ‘Life and death’ aid –

Some 2.4 million Palestinians live in the densely populated enclave, and almost half have been displaced, according to the UN.

Israel has cut off supplies of water, electricity, fuel and food to the long-blockaded territory.

UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Friday that humanitarian relief stuck in Egypt was “the difference between life and death for so many people in Gaza”.

And World Health Organization emergencies director Michael Ryan said Biden’s deal for an initial 20-truck delivery was “a drop in the ocean of need” and that 2,000 trucks were required.

At least 30 percent of all housing in Gaza has been destroyed or damaged, the UN says, citing local authorities, and thousands have taken refuge in a tent city set up in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis.

– Peace summit –

“I’m afraid that the current destruction is part of a clear plan for people to have no place left to live,” said Omar Ashour, a retired general in Gaza.

“This will cause a second Nakba,” he added, referring to the 760,000 Palestinians who were expelled from or fled their homes when Israel was created.

Israel is strongly backed by international allies and Biden on Friday requested $14 billion in emergency military aid for Israel.

He argued the money would secure US interests in the region, where there are fears of a wider conflagration.

The United States has moved two aircraft carriers into the eastern Mediterranean to deter Iran or Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both Hamas allies, and France said it had directly warned Hezbollah against involvement.

Cross-border fire continued overnight though, with one Israeli soldier killed, Israeli radio said, and the military announced it hit Hezbollah targets after rocket and anti-tank missile fire.

Israel on Friday ordered the 25,000 residents of the northern town of Kiryat Shmona to evacuate.

Debris from an intercepted rocket fell on a school playground in the town on Wednesday, resident Lianne Abutbul told AFP.

“It could have killed children, it’s really scary.”

Violence has also flared in the West Bank, where 84 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, according to the Palestinian health ministry.