Judith and Natalie Raanan: Mother and daughter among Americans missing in Israel
- Published
Judith Raanan and her daughter Natalie were in southern Israel when the attacks began
A mother and her teenager daughter from near Chicago are among a number of Americans still missing in Israel.
Friends and family members fear that Judith and Natalie Raanan were taken hostage by Hamas.
The pair had been visiting relatives at the Nahal Oz kibbutz in southern Israel, close to Gaza.
Uri Raanan, Judith's ex-husband and Natalie's father, told a local news station that his daughter texted him after the attack began.
The pair were hiding in a bunker or safe room, Mr Raanan told ABC7 Chicago, external, but have not been heard from since.
He said that a neighbour had said they saw Hamas militants escort both Judith and Natalie out of the house.
At least 14 American citizens have been killed by Hamas, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. Another 20 Americans are unaccounted for.
Rabbi Meir Hecht said that Judith Raanan, 59, is a member of his congregation at Chabad of Evanston, north of Chicago.
More on Hamas-Israel attacks
"Judith is a warm, kind, generous, giving person," he told the BBC. "She's always here to help others in the community and does whatever she can to be a friend and available to assist people in any way possible."
"We are terribly distressed over this news and we're all praying for the safety of both Judith and Natalie and of course of all the people of Israel, all the hostages and all the wounded," he said.
Natalie Raanan, 19, recently graduated from nearby Deerfield High School.
Speaking to a crowd at a synagogue in Glencoe on Tuesday, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said he had put police across the state on alert for threats against synagogues or Jewish institutions.
He added that the FBI and local law enforcement had not detected any immediate threats.
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- Published5 April
