After talks with the militant group were mediated by Qatar, a mother and daughter from Chicago who were kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and kept captive in Gaza were freed.

They’ve been identified by the Israeli military as Judith Raanan, who is believed to be in her 60s, and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, who were visiting family living in a Kibbutz close to the Gaza Strip. Roughly 200 people were taken hostage and 1,400 killed during the 7 October attack, which prompted a devastating Israeli military assault on Gaza in response.

President Joe Biden confirmed the release in a statement on Friday, October 20, in which he said the US government had been working “around-the-clock” to free American citizens held by Hamas.

They were then taken to an Israeli military base to be reunited with their relatives. Natalie’s father Uri told the AP that he spoke to his daughter by telephone late on Friday. “She’s doing good. She’s doing very good,” he said. “I’m in tears, and I feel very, very good.”

A Hamas spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, said the hostages were released in response to Qatari mediation efforts, “for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless”, the Associated Press reported.

Biden said;

“Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the release came after “many days of continuous communication” with all parties.

The hostage release is the first since Hamas’ surprise assault, during which they pillaged communities across southern Israel, killing around 1,400 people, mostly civilians.