The father of freed American teen hostage Natalie Raanan said Friday she맥스카지노�s doing well following two weeks in captivity after she and her mother were abducted in Israel by Hamas and held in Gaza.Related video above: Woman's family among hostages taken by HamasUri Raanan of Illinois told The Associated Press that he spoke to his daughter Friday by telephone. 맥스카지노�She맥스카지노�s doing good. She맥스카지노�s doing very good,맥스카지노� said Uri, who lives in the Chicago suburbs. 맥스카지노�I맥스카지노�m in tears, and I feel very, very good.맥스카지노�The 71-year-old said he saw on the news earlier Friday that an American mother and daughter would be released by Hamas, and he spent the day hoping that meant his daughter and her mother, Judith.Knowing Natalie may be able to celebrate her 18th birthday next week at home with family and friends feels 맥스카지노�wonderful. The best news,맥스카지노� Uri Raanan said.He said he believes Natalie and Judith to be in transit to Tel Aviv to reunite with relatives, and that both will be back in the U.S. early next week.U.S. President Joe Biden was among the many celebrating the stunning news that the Raanans had been freed.An Israeli army spokesman said the two Americans were out of the Gaza Strip and with the Israeli military. Hamas said Friday it released them for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.They were the first hostages to be released since Hamas militants, according to Israel, abducted roughly 200 people during their Oct. 7 rampage.맥스카지노�I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,맥스카지노� Biden said in Washington. The president spoke Friday with Judith and Natalie and "relayed that they will have the full support of the U.S. government as they recover from this terrible ordeal,맥스카지노� the White House said.The International Committee of the Red Cross, which transported the freed Americans from Gaza to Israel, said their release offered "a sliver of hope맥스카지노� for those still being held.Judith and Natalie Ranaan had been on a trip from their home in the Chicago suburb of Evanston to Israel to celebrate the Jewish holidays, according to family members. They were in Nahal Oz, near Gaza, on Oct. 7 for Simchat Torah, a festive Jewish holiday, when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israeli towns, killing hundreds of people and abducting others.Their family had heard nothing from them since the attack and were later told by U.S. and Israeli officials that they were being held in Gaza, Natalie맥스카지노�s brother Ben has said.맥스카지노�The news that Judith and Natalie have been released from the hands of Hamas is overwhelming. It brings us a tremendous amount of gratitude to the Almighty, to God, for this incredible miracle,맥스카지노� Meir Hecht, Judith Raanan맥스카지노�s rabbi, said at a press conference outside his home in Evanston on Friday afternoon.맥스카지노�At the same time we hold our pain very deep,맥스카지노� said Hecht, who called for the other hostages to be released as soon as possible. 맥스카지노�We need to continue besieging whoever we can and however we can, and praying for their release.맥스카지노�Judith came regularly to Meir맥스카지노�s congregation and felt like 맥스카지노�part of our family,맥스카지노� the rabbi said.Natalie Raanan loves art, makeup, fashion, and DoorDash 맥스카지노� 맥스카지노�she hates eating at home,맥스카지노� according to her brother Ben, who is based in Denver. She graduated from high school this year and was deciding between going to college to study interior or fashion design and taking an apprenticeship with a tattoo shop.Ben Raanan described Natalie as 맥스카지노�just a very loving, kind person.맥스카지노� Their middle brother, Adam, is nonverbal and much older than she is, but Natalie makes it a priority to maintain a strong bond with him, he explained.Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth expressed relief at news of the Raanans맥스카지노� release while asking people to remember other families whose relatives were abducted.맥스카지노�They are now safe and receiving necessary medical treatment,맥스카지노� Pritzker said of Natalie and Judith. 맥스카지노�I cannot wait to welcome them back home after demonstrating immense strength and bravery in the face of unthinkable terror.맥스카지노�French President Emmanuel Macron said the release of the two Americans is 맥스카지노�a very good result맥스카지노� and expressed hope it could help pave the way for others to be freed, including French-Israelis feared held in Gaza.Qatar said it would continue its dialogue with Israel and Hamas in hopes of winning the release of all hostages 맥스카지노�with the ultimate aim of de-escalating the current crisis and restoring peace.맥스카지노�Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israel was continuing to work to return hostages and find the missing, and its goals had not changed. 맥스카지노�We are continuing the war against Hamas and ready for the next stage of the war,맥스카지노� he said.The release comes amid growing expectations of a ground offensive that Israel says is aimed at rooting out Hamas militants who rule Gaza.