Hostages' Family Responds To Shaun King Claim
On Friday, two American women were released from captivity by Hamas terrorists in Israel after being held hostage for two weeks. The women, Judith and Natalie Raanan, are residents of Evanston, Illinois, and were in Israel to celebrate a relative's 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season, according to the Times of Israel.
In the days leading up to their release, far-left activist Shaun King made claims that he knew the Raanan family and had helped negotiate their release. He alleged that the family had contacted him for help in finding and bringing Natalie to safety. He also claimed that he had the ability to confidentially broker her return and thanked the Qatari government for their assistance in the negotiation.
However, the family has since come forward and denied any association with King. In a statement translated by journalist Yashar Ali, the Raanan family said, "today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one Shaun King, who turns out to have millions of followers, who claims that our relative Natalie Raanan supports the anti-Israeli messages he uploads to his page."
They went on to clarify that they have no relation to King and have never even heard of him. The family also expressed their disappointment in King's attempt to use their situation for his own gain. "The damage that the sharing of these lies does is so huge," the statement reads. "We're not done, we've just started... Now we need the support of all the people of Israel and all the countries of the world to bring everyone home as soon as possible!"
Here is the full, translated statement from the Raanan family in response to Shaun King’s bizarre claim that he played a part in getting Judith and Natalie Raanan released by Hamas:
"Today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one Shaun King, who turns out to…
— Yashar Ali (@yashar) October 21, 2023
This incident highlights the importance of verifying information before sharing it on social media. The Raanan family urges people to double-check the things they see online before spreading them, as many things can be false. They also remind the public that there are still several family members of the Raanans who are still kidnapped and in need of support and attention.
The release of the two American women was a result of extensive efforts made by various parties, including the Qatari government, to negotiate their release. The family expressed their gratitude towards everyone involved in the process and asked for continued support in bringing all the remaining hostages home.
In conclusion, the false claims made by Shaun King have caused confusion and frustration for the Raanan family during an already difficult time. They hope that their statement will put an end to any further false information being spread and that the focus can remain on bringing all the hostages home safely.