Hamas released the first of almost 200 people the terrorist group kidnapped during its Oct. 7 raid in Israel on Friday, freeing an American mother and her adolescent daughter whom it had kept prisoner in Gaza.

According to an army official, the two Americans, Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie, 17, had left the Gaza Strip and were now in the custody of the Israeli military. According to Hamas, the Qatari authorities agreed to release them for humanitarian grounds.

The announcement of the release coincides with rising anticipation for a ground invasion that Israel claims is intended to drive out militants from Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. Israel stated on Friday that it had no intention of assuming long-term authority of the little region, which is home to some 2.3 million people.

Authorities moved closer to providing relief to hospitals and vulnerable families while the Israeli military hit Gaza with bombs. Muslims from all across the world demonstrated in support of Palestinians.

According to the family, Judith and Natalie Ranaan traveled to Israel from their suburban Chicago home to observe the Jewish holidays. On October 7, Simchat Torah, a joyous Jewish festival, they were at the Nahal Oz kibbutz, close to Gaza, when Hamas and other terrorists rushed out of the area into southern Israeli cities, murdering hundreds and kidnapping 203 others.

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