WEB DESK
It took American and Qatari diplomacy, and self-interested decisions by Hamas, to bring two hostages safely back to Israel.
On October 20 night, when Hamas released two captives, Judith and Natalie Raanan, an American-Israeli mother and daughter, one of the first things U.S. officials did was thank the Qataris. The Raanans were the first hostages to emerge from captivity, and the families of the remaining 200 or more captives desperately hope this is just the beginning.