An Israeli-American woman who along with her teenage daughter was held hostage by Hamas said in an interview that aired on Wednesday that Palestinian nurses cheered when they were brought to a Gaza hospital.
Chicago-area resident Judith Ra’anan was abducted together with her 17-year-old daughter Natalie during Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre. The two were among the first to be released by the terror group, having spent two weeks in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
She recounted that after being taken captive, they were marched into Gaza with their hands zip-tied behind their back, and were then brought to a local hospital.
“They [the nurses] were all so happy that they [the terrorists] came back with prey, with Israeli Jewish prey,” she told News Nation.
The hospital staff were cheering, ululating with their lips when the hostages were brought in, she said.
She noted however that a senior nurse was leading the celebrations, saying that others were likely afraid of her.
“I really don’t think all of them were happy to see us, they were very much terrified,” she said.
Five months after the attack, Hamas is still holding 134 hostages in Gaza, though Israel has confirmed that at least 32 are already dead.
“I will not have peace until they are all out,” said Ra’anan.