They were released. And they have already spoken on the phone with the president Joe Biden. Judith Tai Raanan and his daughter, Natalie Raanan – for 14 days in the hands of Hamas – are free. Mother and daughter, Americans from Chicago, visiting Israel on October 7, are the first to be freed. Qatar confirmed its role in the release and said it would continue to mediate with the aim of securing the release of all hostages. Biden, responding to reporters, seems to hope that the Israeli ground attack will be postponed. Then the clarification: “He thought he was answering another question”. Meanwhile, the UN warns the population of Gaza City: “We have received an alert from Israel, leave the schools immediately.” On the level of humanitarian aid, Biden guarantees that the agreement has been reached for theopening of the Rafah crossing within 24 hours. Although so far the announcements have always remained without consequences.
04:03
Hamas: “Working to free more hostages”
Hamas says it is “working with mediators from Egypt, Qatar and other friendly countries” to achieve the release of other “foreign” hostages after the two American women. “We seek to implement our decision to release individuals of foreign nationality into temporary custody, as and when security circumstances permit.”
03:43
NYT: The US asks Israel to avoid attacks against Hezbollah
According to the NYT, Joe Biden and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken they “privately” urged Israel to avoid heavy attacks against Hezbollah. Washington’s fear is that some of the hawks in the Israeli war cabinet want a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah that would leave Israel fighting on two fronts; Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north with the risk of involving the United States and Iran in the conflict.
[[(gele.Finegil.Image2014v1) ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/BIDEN]]
03:15
Air raid warnings near Gaza
Air raid warning sirens rang out overnight in several Israeli communities near the border with Gaza. This was reported by the Times of Israel website.
03:15
From Hollywood star appeal for truce in Gaza
Dozens of Hollywood stars have written a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “before another human life is lost.”
Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac, Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Cate Blanchett, Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong and Joaquin Phoenix have signed the appeal of the Artists4Ceasefire organization, among others. The actors call for an end to the “devastating loss of life and horrors we see unfold before our eyes” and say that “life is sacred in all cases, no matter what faith or ethnicity you belong to”. The letter follows another of the same tone signed, on behalf of Artists for Palestine UK, by celebrities such as Tilda Swinton, Miriam Margolyes, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla.
02:40
Biden corrects his remarks on the ground attack: “I didn’t hear the question”
A few minutes after the media following Joe Biden spread the news that the American president hopes for a postponement of Israel’s invasion of Gaza “until other hostages are freed”, the White House corrects the situation. Biden “misheard the question”, we read in a note which explains that the president’s “yes” answer referred to the need for Hamas to free more hostages and not to a postponement of the ground invasion.
02:22
Biden: “Israel should postpone the invasion of Gaza”
Israel should delay a ground invasion. This was said by US President Joe Biden, who, as he boarded Air Force One to go to Delaware for the weekend, answered “yes” to reporters who asked him whether it was appropriate for Israel to wait for the invasion of Gaza until in order to gain time in negotiations for the release of the hostages.
02:01
Biden: “Hamas attack against Israel-Arab states relations”
Hamas also attacked Israel to prevent the normalization of relations with the Arab states. He said it Joe Biden at a campaign event in Washington. “One of the reasons why they did it is because they knew that I would sit at the negotiating table with Saudi Arabia,” the American president underlined. “Because the Saudis wanted to recognize Israel and that would make the Middle East more united,” Biden added.
01:05
Israeli army: 1,400 victims in two weeks
The toll of two weeks of conflict was published on the profile on X of the Israeli Armed Forces: over 6,900 rockets launched from Gaza against Israel (over 450 failed launches inside Gaza). Over 1,400 victims. Over 4,600 injured. More than 200 hostages taken. More than 1,000 Hamas terrorists neutralized, many of them after having infiltrated Israel. Dozens of senior Hamas terrorist leaders eliminated.”
War With Hamas
2 week recap:6,900+ rockets fired from Gaza at Israel (450+ failed launches inside Gaza).
1,400+ killed.
4,600+ injured.
200+ hostages taken.1,000+ Hamas terrorists neutralized, many after infiltrating Israel.
Dozens of senior Hamas terrorist…— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 20, 2023
00:52
The father of one of the released women: “She’s fine”
The father and grandfather of the two Americans released by Hamas spoke to his daughter and said she was “fine”. The Associated Press reports. “He’s doing well. He’s doing very well,” said Uri Raanan, who lives in the Chicago suburbs. The 71-year-old said he saw on the news that Hamas was freeing an American mother and daughter, and spent the day hoping they were referring to his daughter, Judith Raanan, and her granddaughter, 17-year-old Natalie. Raanan also explained that the two women are expected to be traveling to Tel Aviv and then the US, in time for her niece’s 18th birthday next week.
00:20
UN: “Immediately evacuate five schools in Gaza City”
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) has received a warning from Israel to evacuate “as quickly as possible” five schools in Gaza City. “We have done everything we can to protest and reject this decision, but this means that these facilities are no longer safe from now on,” UNRWA wrote in a statement. The schools, currently full of refugees, are close to Al-Ahli hospital, where a terrible explosion occurred on Tuesday.
00:17
Biden to the two women freed by Hamas: “We will help you get out of the ordeal”
The president of the United States Joe Biden spoke with the two American women freed by Hamas after almost two weeks of captivity. After the phone call with the family of the two former hostages, Biden wanted to directly reassure Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana, residents of Chicago, telling them that “they will have all the support of the United States government to get out of this terrible ordeal”.
(afp)
00:01
Qatar on the hostages: “We will continue the dialogue”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its role in the release of the first two hostages held by Hamas and said it will continue to mediate negotiations with the aim of securing the release of all those still held captive. “Today’s breakthrough comes after many days of continuous communication between all parties involved,” Majid Al-Ansari, official spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement. “We will continue our dialogue with both the Israelis and Hamas, and we hope that these efforts will lead to the release of all civilian hostages of all nationalities.”
2023-10-21 02:16:46
#Israel #Hamas #news #todays #war #warning #Evacuate #Gaza #City #schools #immediately #Americans #released #Hamas #arrived #Israel
