Chicago-area residents Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, two American hostages freed on Friday by Hamas, pose in this undated picture obtained by Reuters on Oct. 20, 2023. Photo: Obtained by Reuters/via REUTERS

The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas released two US hostages, mother and daughter Judith and Natalie Raanan, who were kidnapped in its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Friday.

The women, who were taken from Nahal Oz kibbutz, near the Gaza border, were on their way to a military base in central Israel, a statement from Netanyahu’s office said.

Media reports in the United States said they were from Evanston, an Illinois suburb of Chicago.

They were the first hostages to be freed since Hamas terrorists burst into Israel nearly two weeks ago, killing 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and taking around 200 hostages.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Hamas’ armed Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, issued a statement earlier on Friday announcing the release. He said the hostages were released in response to Qatari mediation efforts, “for humanitarian reasons, and to prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by [US President Joe] Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless.”

Biden has publicly supported Israel’s military response following Hamas’ terrorist onslaught against the Jewish state.

A source briefed on the negotiations to release hostages being held by Hamas said the release of the two Americans was “a first step and discussions are ongoing for more releases.”

A team from the US Embassy in Israel will shortly see the two Americans who were freed, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

He said there are still 10 Americans who remain unaccounted for after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

“We know that some of them are being held hostage by Hamas,” Blinken told a briefing for reporters.

Biden in a statement thanked Qatar and Israel for their partnership in securing the pair’s release.

A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the release of the hostages took place “after many days of continuous communication” and dialogue on the release of hostages would continue.

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it helped facilitate the hostages’ release by transporting them from Gaza to Israel.

Israel‘s Kan public broadcaster reported the two women were dual Israeli-American nationals.

Hamas has previously described captives with “foreign” nationalities as guests who would be released, without saying if this includes Israelis with dual nationality.

An Israeli army statement earlier in the day said a majority of the hostages were alive.

Netanyahu’s adviser Mark Regev would not elaborate on the statement, but told CNN: “We’ve said what we know, they’re alive.”

He continued: “So our working assumption has to be that they are waiting for us. That they are prepared for an Israeli assault. And our challenge will be to surprise them tactically on the ground, to catch them unaware.”

Concern for the dozens of Israelis taken into Gaza may complicate Netanyahu’s stated aim of eliminating Hamas while sticking to a longstanding principle of leaving no one behind.

Beyond the roughly 200 hostages claimed by Hamas, the terror group has said 50 more are held by other armed groups in Gaza.

American and British officials have confirmed they have been working with Qatar to secure the release of hostages, including their citizens, held in Gaza.

Other countries that have said their citizens are being held include Thailand, Argentina, Germany, France, and Portugal.