Two American hostages, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, 18, were released by Hamas on Friday afternoon and subsequently transferred into the custody of the Red Cross, according to the Israeli government.They are reportedly under the care Israeli authorities.
Raanan and her daughter are from Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and they had embarked on a trip to Israel earlier this month to partake in the festivities surrounding a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season.
Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas political bureau member, called the release a goodwill gesture during an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera. Hamas is ready for constructive talks about prisoners, he said, but insisted that Israeli airstrikes in Gaza must stop. Hamas is treating the captives with dignity and respect, Hamad said, adding the release was facilitated through Qatari mediation.
Conversely, CNN reports that Hamas released the Americans due to the mother’s declining health, while the Times of Israel suggested the United States had also played a role in these efforts.
The U.S. and European governments are pushing Israel to delay its Gaza ground invasion to give diplomacy an opportunity to free other hostages held by Hamas.
The Israeli military has ordered for the immediate evacuation of Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, calling upon all occupants to relocate to the southern region. Presently, the hospital is catering to the needs of 400 patients and roughly 12,000 displaced civilians.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib is urging Israel to announce a 48-hour ceasefire. According to Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner in his conversation with CNN, it is the Lebanese government’s responsibility to ensure that terrorist groups like Hezbollah refrain from launching attacks against Israel.
President Joe Biden has said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt should be ready to reopen within the next 24-48 hours to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Market Reactions
During the entire trading session on Friday in New York, stocks remained consistently under pressure.
The S&P 500 Index, as tracked by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY, recorded a 0.9% decline, while the tech-focused Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ saw a 1.1% decrease.
Investors opted for safer assets, resulting in gains for both Treasuries and gold. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury ETF TLT rose by 0.6%, and the SPDR Gold Trust GLD showed a 0.4% increase.
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