Needham man hopeful relatives will be released by Hamas after hostage deal reached
NEEDHAM - Israel has approved a deal that would free dozens of hostages held by Hamas, many of them women and children, who have been trapped by the terrorist organization for more than six weeks.
In exchange, Israel will halt their attacks in Gaza for four days. At least 50 hostages should be released during the initial ceasefire. Hamas can extend the ceasefire by an additional day for every 10 more hostages they release.
It is not clear when the first hostages will return home. Jason Greenberg from Needham is desperately hoping his loved ones will be among them, especially his two cousins, who are only teenagers.
"When I see them, it will be one of the happiest moments of my life," Greenberg said.
Greenberg fought through the emotions Tuesday night as he thought about the possible release of his two young cousins Sahar and Erez, taken hostage along with their dad on October 7. He's praying the kids are among the first 50 set free by Hamas.
"Why isn't it more? That's the big question," Greenberg said. "Why is it only women and children? These are all civilians."
And many, like his cousins, were living on a kibbutz near the Gaza border when Hamas attacked. Five were taken hostage, but 79-year-old Carmela Dan and her 13-year-old granddaughter Noya were later found murdered.
It's the kind of brutality he suspects will haunt those lucky enough to be freed.
"The stories that they will likely come home with are something no one ever wants to hear," Greenberg said.
Greenberg has made it his mission to keep the plight of the hostages in the public eye. Some of his relatives brought family pictures to a rally in Tel Aviv Tuesday. Rooting out the Hamas threat is imperative, he argues, but secondary to saving the lives of those held captive.
"There should be an unrelenting pressure to get the rest of these hostages out," Greenberg said.
As for recent criticism of the Israeli assault on Gaza, he believes it's the only thing that brought Hamas to the bargaining table, the realization they could use the hostages as bargaining chips.
"There's not a moment that I am not sick with worry for them," Greenberg said.
The ceasefire/hostage release deal was approved by the Israeli cabinet, but there are few public details on exactly how it will unfold.
If his young cousins are freed, Greenberg knows returning to normal life will be slow process. "They have a long road ahead of them but seeing them come out alive is all that we need," Greenberg said.
He suspects the hostage swap portion of this deal might happen before it's made public. And he's hoping for a status call from the office of Congressman Jake Auchincloss sometime on Wednesday.