Freed Hamas Hostage Natalie Raanan Returns Home To Chicago Area

EVANSTON, IL — The North Shore teen who was held hostage in the Gaza Strip has returned to the Chicago area 10 days after her release from captivity, Israeli officials announced.

Natalie Raanan, 18, and her mother, Judith Raanan, 59, were abducted on Oct. 7 during cross-border attacks by Hamas militants, which Israeli police say killed more than 1,000 civilians.

"I am relieved that Natalie Raanan is back home in Chicago," Yinam Cohen, consul general of Israel to the Midwest said Monday. "Her family members have been anxiously waiting for her return, and today I am sharing their happiness."

The mother and daughter, who are dual nationals, were kidnapped from the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, a small town less than a mile from the Gaza-Israel border. They had been visiting Natalie's grandmother for her 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah when the town was overrun by gunmen who had broken through the wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territory.

Two family members of the Raanans were killed during last month's attacks, and eight others were taken hostage, a cousin told the media following their release.

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On Oct. 20, they became the first hostages to be released by Hamas, which is designed a terrorist organization by the United States and its allies and has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

A spokesperson for the group's armed wing claimed that their release was made for humanitarian reasons, although Israeli media cited government sources indicating the release was intended to delay the Israeli military's ground attack on Gaza, which began last weekend.

Judith Raanan, who was reportedly in poor health at the time of her release, has yet to return to the United States. A family friend told the Chicago Sun-Times that Judith was caring for her mother while remaining in Israel.

A fundraising effort launched on behalf of Judith and Natalie by Chabad of Evanston had raised nearly $13,000 as of Wednesday morning.

"While we’re celebrating Natalie’s return," Cohen said, "we remember the 239 hostages, among them babies, children, women, and the elderly, who are still held by Hamas in Gaza."

Family members of those held hostage by Hamas will be in Chicago this week to call for their release and share their stories, Cohen said in a social media post.

Two other hostages abducted from Israeli towns were released by Hamas on Oct. 23. On Monday, Israeli military officials said they had freed a 19-year-old soldier, Ori Megidish, who had been held captive by militants.

About a dozen U.S. citizens are reportedly among those still being held hostage, although the administration of President Joe Biden has not publicly stated a number.

Pentagon officials have said American special operations forces have been deployed to Israel to assist with identifying hostages, including Americans. The New York Times reports several dozen commandos U.S. have been deployed to non-combatant roles in Israel, joining a small team that was already in Israel on Oct. 7 for previously scheduled training, members of the FBI, State Department and other agencies in efforts to recover those held captive.

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Hamas has attempted to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisons being held by Israel, an offer that has been dismissed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced growing pressure to secure their release and increasing anger over his handling of the most devastating surprise attack on the country in a half-century.

Netanyahu has said the Israeli military's cross-border invasion "creates the possibility" of rescuing hostages, since Hamas would only release them “under pressure.”

In addition, hundreds of American families are trapped in Gaza, most of whom had been visiting the area when the Israeli military began its retaliatory siege of the enclave, which was this week described as "collective punishment" by United Nations officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday testified before the Senate Appropriations that, American diplomatic officials are working to get more than a thousand people safely out of Gaza, where the health ministry reports more than 8,300 people have been killed in the past three weeks.

"We have about 400 American citizens and their family members, so it's roughly 1,000 people who are stuck in Gaza and want to get out," Blinken said, suggesting Hamas was the only impediment to their return. "I'm focused on this intensely."