MSNBC’s longtime Middle East and Israeli correspondent Martin Fletcher broke down Thursday night on the “11th Hour” when he said that two of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists are actually family members.
Fletcher told host Stephanie Ruhle that Illinois residents Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie were celebrating a birthday in Israel when Hamas terrorists attacked.
“They were last seen, their hands tied, being dragged away by the Hamas terrorists,” an emotional Fletcher said. “So it’s personal, it’s real, and nobody is really confident that it’s possible to get them back alive. Of course, everybody’s hoping.”
Fletcher then broke down into tears and said “Hamas is using the hostages for psychological warfare.” (RELATED: ‘The US Conducts Prisoner Swaps’: Hamas Official Cites Biden’s Iran Deal As Rationale For Taking Hostages)
“Israel says hostages are their number one priority, but actually, the bottom line probably is that they’re the number two priority,” Fletcher continued. “The number one priority is to go into Gaza, as Prime Minister Netanyahu said, to kill the Hamas leadership and to destroy Hamas.”
Hamas terrorists took more than 1oo hostage –including Americans –during the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. Hamas has since threatened to execute hostages live on air if Israel continues to strike locations in Gaza where Hamas is being hidden.