Family of Americans missing in Israel asks Hamas for video
- Americans Judith and Natalie Raanan are missing in the Israel-Hamas war
- They were near Gaza and have had no contact since the attacks
- Ben Raanan: 'Natalie and Judith are very peaceful people'
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(NewsNation) — The brother and son of two Illinois women, who are believed to be Hamas hostages, is pleading that the terrorist organization share a video to confirm his loved ones are still alive.
Judith and Natalie Raanan are among the Americans missing in the Israel-Hamas war. They were visiting near Gaza when the attacks began. A neighbor confirmed they saw Hamas leading both women out of their house at gunpoint, and no one has heard from them since.
“Natalie and Judith are very peaceful people,” Ben Raanan said Thursday during an appearance on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.” “They are people that love humanity and are not political by nature. … The family who cares about Judith and Natalie very much would love to see some sort of video just confirming their whereabouts and they’re taken care of. There are a lot of people here that really, really do love them so dearly.”
Ben said his family has spoken with President Biden and that he “really cares about the American hostages.”
“(Biden) made a deep commitment to the family that all of the American government’s resources were being used to return not only Natalie and Judith but all hostages,” Ben said.
The Raanan’s rabbi, Meir Hecht, joined “NewsNation Now” last week from Chabad of Evanston, where the women attend services.
Judith and Natalie had been eagerly planning a trip to Israel for the high holiday season. Hecht said that they were excited about spending the holidays in a place with family and friends in Israel.
It is not confirmed if they have been taken hostage. The White House has said more than 20 Americans are unaccounted for, and it’s uncertain how many of those missing are hostages. The women were near the Gaza Strip, specifically in the Nahal Oz kibbutz, close to Gaza, during the holiday of Sukkot, which just ended.
According to Hecht, they were in the region when the terrorists from Gaza launched door-to-door attacks on civilians in the kibbutz. Since then, Hecht said no contact has been made with Judith and Natalie Raanan.
NewsNation’s Damita Menezes contributed to this report.
