Elyakim Arava Family
In September, Yehudit Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natali flew from Chicago to Israel for her mother’s 85th birthday. On Simchat Torah, they stayed in a guest apartment near the kibbutz fence. By 12:18 p.m., Natali sent reassuring messages, but terrorists soon reached them. They were later the first hostages released by Hamas.
Natali and Yehudit Raanan
Click on the points on the timeline for a real-time tour. Clicking on the icons will display the event documentation.
As the volleys of gunfire began, Tamar tried to reach her daughter and granddaughter, who were not familiar with such security events. Yehudit observes Shabbat, so the grandmother communicated with her granddaughter Natali, urging her to go immediately to the safe room.
Tamar calls Natali to check on them. Yehudit hears her voice over the phone, gets up from her bed, and walks toward Natali, who is already in the safe room. Seconds later, a shell pierces through Yehudit's bedroom window and explodes on her bed. She is thrown by the blast but remains uninjured, quickly entering the safe room.
Natali speaks to her aunt Shari Leviathan Cohen, who cares for them, and writes to her that they hear gunshots but are fine: 'I don't have a good reception but "the explosions have stopped, and now there are gunshots".
Shari continues texting with Natali and tells her that she sent Yehudit emergency numbers to call for help. Natali thanks her. This is the last message from her.
The terrorists break down the door of the apartment and take Yehudit and Natali away at gunpoint. They pass by a nearby house and force them to ask the neighbors to open the door, threatening to bomb the house if they refuse. When the neighbors don't open the door, the terrorists continue to lead Yehudit and Natali away.
The terrorists take Yehudit and Natali to the next-door house of the Idan family. They join the hostages already there: Gali and Tzachi Idan with their children, Yael and Shahar, and Omri Miran and Lishai Lavi-Miran with their daughters, Roni and Alma.
The terrorists handcuff Omri Miran and Tzachi Idan and decide to take them to Gaza. Later, they decide to take Yehudit and Natali as well, handcuffing them, and leave the house with the four of them
The terrorists put the four hostages in Tzachi Idan's car but fail to start it. They then walk them toward the border, with each hostage surrounded by two terrorists. Yehudit, who was kidnapped in slippers, finds it difficult to keep up with the pace of the terrorists, who threaten her that if she doesn't walk faster, they will kill her. She asks one of them to slightly loosen the handcuffs that are hurting her. The terrorist uses a sharp knife and injures her. Throughout this, Natali's aunt Shari sends her worried messages.
After being led through the angry crowd, Yehudit and Natali arrive at a hospital and meet a senior Hamas official who speaks fluent Hebrew. Later, they are transferred to another hospital, where Yehudit's injured hand is stitched up. The Gazan nurses cheer at the sight of the Israeli hostages. Later in the day, the two are taken to an apartment covered in burqas.
From the safe room in her home, Tamar texts her daughter Shari. The two try to guide forces to Yehudit and Natali's apartment. Tamar updates Shari: "I'm trying to find someone who can check on them"
The soldiers arrive to rescue Tamar and her partner Yechiel from their home in Nachal Oz, and she insists on finding out what happened to her daughter and granddaughter before she leaves. Surrounded by five soldiers, Tamar reaches the apartment where they were and finds it broken into and messy but without any bloodstains. She realizes they were probably kidnapped and sends a message to her daughter Shari: "I'm sorry, I have no answers to give you."
Tamar and her partner Yechiel are evacuated to the kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek in northern Israel.
The entire family is coming together for the release of the mother and daughter and is working through two channels: the Israeli channel and the American channel. They understand that the American citizenship of the mother and daughter is important for their efforts.
Yehudit's brother, Adi Leviathan, speaks on Zoom for about an hour and a half with President Biden to increase American pressure for the release of the hostages.
The mother and daughter from Chicago are the first hostages to be released from Gaza. In the first photo taken after their transfer to Israeli forces at the Rafah crossing, they are seen alongside Gal Hirsch, who was then in charge of kidnapped and missing persons.
First photo after the transfer to Israeli forces
The White House publishes the conversation between U.S. President Biden and Yehudit Raanan, during which he promises her and her daughter full support for recovery from the trauma they both experienced
In a conversation with Biden, after the release. Photo: US Embassy in Jerusalem
Natali celebrates her 18th birthday with her family in Israel
Birthday in Israel
Natali celebrates her 18th birthday with her family Yehudit Raanan described her difficult experiences in Hamas captivity during an interview with the American media NewsNation. She recounted the hard details of her kidnapping alongside her daughter, highlighting the challenging conditions they faced. "We couldn't get up or go to the bathroom without asking for permission, my hand was injured, but the Red Cross never come." Yehudit also mentioned that the nurses in the hospital were happy to have an Israeli-Jewish victim to care for, reflecting the complexities of the situation.
המתחם האינטראקטיבי של מפת העוטף ב-7 באוקטובר 2023 נועד לתעד ולהנציח את האירועים שהתרחשו ביישובי עוטף עזה באמצעות תיעודים מזמן אמת, דקה אחר דקה.
הפרויקט בהליכי בנייה ותחקיר, בשלבים הבאים יתווספו נקודות רבות על המפה, לרבות בסיסי צה”ל, הרחבת אזורי המסיבות והדרכים המובילות לעוטף.
לפרטים נוספים וליצירת קשר לחצו כאן
אזהרה: התוכן מכיל תיאורים ותיעודים קשים לצפייה
