When the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, an American mother and daughter who were held captive by Hamas are freed.

Judith Tai Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie Raanan were freed by Hamas on Friday, almost two weeks after the group carried out a horrific attack in Israel that resulted in the kidnapping of about 200 people.

According to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari on Friday, the US citizens were turned over to the Israel Defense Forces near the Gaza border. According to the prime minister's office in Israel, they are currently their route to an Israeli military base where they will meet up with their relatives.

The Raanans, who are from Chicago, were held captive on October 7 while visiting family in Nahal Oz, a rural village in southern Israel, according to their family.

According to Israeli authorities, at over 1,400 people were killed by Hamas terrorists during the attack, including troops and civilians. It was the deadliest terrorist strike in Israel's seventy-five-year history and exposed a startling lack of intelligence on the part of the nation's security services.

Since then, Israel has escalated the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza by imposing a siege on the region and attacking the Palestinian enclave with a flurry of airstrikes. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that over 4,100 individuals have died as a result of Israeli bombings in Gaza.

The Red Cross received the captives after they were freed on Friday, according to a person involved with the negotiations. The Red Cross has been contacted by CNN.

For "humanitarian reasons," they were freed because the mother's health is not good, the

The spokesperson for Hamas, Abu Obaida, issued the following statement: "A mother and her daughter were released by Al-Qassam Brigades in response to Qatari efforts, for humanitarian reasons, and to demonstrate to the American people and the world that the accusations made by Biden and his fascist administration are untrue and unfounded."

Majid Al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed the release of the two American captives and stated that the country will "continue dialogue with Israel and Hamas in hope of releasing all civilian hostages from every nationality."

The father of Natalie and the ex-husband of Judith, Uri Raanan, expressed his immense relief upon learning of their release on Friday.

"It's been two weeks since I last slept," Raanan said to reporters outside his

Natalie's birthday is the 24th of the following week, and we will celebrate it here at my house," he said. It's going to be the finest day of my life, and I can't wait to hug and kiss her.

Additionally, on Friday, Rabbi Meir Hecht's wife Yehudis Hecht lighted two lights at their Evanston home to usher in Shabbat and express gratitude to God for miracles and hope for continued miracles for all of Israel. Judith attends the synagogue led by Rabbi Meir Hecht.

It hasn't felt real. We adore Judith, and it's clear that our hearts were crushed and turned inside out," she remarked. "We are incredibly appreciative and we hope they recover quickly from everything they've gone through."

The two US citizens will "soon be reunited with their family," according to US President Joe Biden, who expressed his "overjoyedness" and requested their privacy. Speaking again, Biden stated that his government has been "working around-the-clock" to release the Americans that Hamas has taken captive.

He remarked, "Jill and I have been keeping all the families of unaccounted for Americans close in our hearts." "And we won't give up until we bring their loved ones home, as I assured those families last week when I met with them. As President, the safety of Americans being held captive abroad is my top priority.

According to a diplomatic source with knowledge of the negotiations, the release of the two American hostages is "hopefully the start of more to come."

The announcement followed visits to Israel by Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the wake of mounting international pressure to obtain the hostages' release.

Among the foreign nationals abducted by Hamas were individuals from the US, Mexico, Brazil, and Thailand.

There is still a lack of information regarding the whereabouts, identities, and condition of each hostage. Families who recognize some of them from internet recordings have identified them, leading to fervent requests for their return.

Hamas announced in a statement on Friday that it is assisting mediators in Qatar, Egypt, and other "friendly countries" in the release of foreign nationals.

In the statement, it was stated that "we remain steadfast in our commitment to implementing our decision to temporarily release foreign nationals under custody, when and when security conditions allow."

The release of the two Americans has been hailed by hostage representatives.

According to a statement provided to CNN by the captives and Missing Families Forum, "the families' headquarters welcomes the release of hostages from Hamas captivity."

"We demand that the international community and world leaders use all of their might to act to secure the release of all hostages and missing people."

Gaza's humanitarian predicament gets worse

As Israel's siege and bombardment of the enclave approaches the two-week mark, a senior humanitarian official warned on Friday that an Israeli blockade of food, water, fuel, and electricity is "going to kill many, many people" in Gaza.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, ceaseless airstrikes have claimed the lives of over 4,100 individuals in Gaza, including at least 1,660 children. There are increasing concerns that millions of Palestinians may be permanently uprooted, and over 13,000 people have been injured.

According to CNN's examination of on-location footage, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem stated on Thursday night that an Israeli bombardment had damaged one of the church buildings on its compound in Gaza City, causing it to partially collapse.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that seventeen people lost their lives as a result of the airstrike. According to former congressman Justin Amash of Michigan, a number of his family were among the deceased.

The Patriarchate declared in a statement that it is "consistently a war crime that cannot be ignored" to "target churches and their institutions, along with the shelters they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli airstrikes on residential areas over the past thirteen days."

On Friday, the IDF admitted that "a wall of