An Evanston mother and daughter are being held hostage by Hamas

Peter Currie and Gina Barnes

3 hours ago

CHICAGO — An Evanston mother and daughter visiting family in Israel have reportedly been taken hostage by Hamas, according to the family’s rabbi.

Judith Ty Rannan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie, a recent graduate of Deerfield High School, traveled to Nahal Oz, Israelnear the Gaza border, to celebrate a relative’s 85th birthday and Jewish holidays on Monday, September 2.

The family’s rabbi told WGN-TV that the Israeli government contacted Judith’s sister in Israel and Natalie’s father in Illinois to confirm that they were being held hostage by Hamas. It is not known where they are being held.

Ben Raanan, Natalie’s brother, said: “A neighbor witnessed them being taken out of the house by Hamas fighters, and we do not know who is there.” “It still doesn’t feel real. It’s like any minute I’m going to get a text from Natalie saying, ‘Silly, I didn’t charge my phone.’ There’s a tremendous amount of desperation, but there’s also a tremendous amount of hope.”

The Israeli government confirmed that the armed Hamas movement attacked the community in Israel where they were staying about a week ago.

Hamas, the armed group that controls the Gaza Strip, launched attacks over the weekend against Israel, prompting Israeli forces to launch a counterattack.

Counterattacks launched by Israel have devastated neighborhoods in Gaza – home to more than 2.3 million Palestinians.

Hamas is reportedly holding up to 150 people hostage following its weekend attack on Israel.