Update: The two hostages released Friday by Hamas have been identified as Judith and Natalie Raanan, relatives of former NBC reporter Martin Fletcher.
Original story is below:
Martin Fletcher revealed that members of his wife’s family are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza in an emotional moment that saw the former Israel-based NBC correspondent choke up on-air – twice.
Fletcher, who served as Middle East correspondent and Tel Aviv bureau chief, joined “The 11th Hour,” with host Stephanie Ruhle and became emotional when discussing his family.
“I just found out today that two of my wife’s family are among the hostages,” Fletcher said.
Ruhle, seemingly shocked to hear this, replied “I’m so sorry.”
“We know that from what we’ve found out about Hamas that they were told to kill the difficult ones and to use the rest as human shields,” Fletcher continued. “So this is very personal.”
American relatives of Fletcher were visiting their grandmother in Israel when Hamas terrorists invaded the country, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Fletcher told Ruhle that the last time his relatives were seen was “with their hands tied being dragged away by the Hamas terrorists.”
An estimated 200 people, including teenagers, young children, and the elderly are being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. At least 20 Americans remain missing according to U.S. authorities.
Hamas has taken Israeli hostages before, but not to this extent. In 2006, IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was taken hostage by Hamas. Shalit remained in captivity until 2011 when Israel released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for solely his return.
