2 Pennsylvania families had loved ones released by Hamas amid temporary cease-fire
PHILADELPHIA (CBS/CNN) -- Two families in the Philadelphia region had been released by Hamas amid a temporary cease-fire this week.
An 84-year-old stepmother with family in Ardmore was one of the hostages released by Hamas on Tuesday, CNN reports.
Ditza Heiman is believed to have been taken from her home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel.
Hamas released the 84-year-old and nine other hostages Tuesday as part of the arrangement for two extra days of cease-fire in the war.
Just last week, CBS Philadelphia spoke with Heiman's family who expressed how much they missed her, especially her homemade chicken soup.
In the picture above, Amichai Shdaimah's 84-year-old stepmother Heiman is making her famous chicken soup. For nearly two months, her kitchen was empty, but that may not be for much longer.
Wynnewood family celebrates release of 12-year-old boy held hostage in Gaza
The family of a boy taken hostage after the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel celebrate his release while waiting on word about the boy's father.
"I thought I recognized him, and I said, 'This is him,'" Danielle Gutman said.
She described the moment she saw 12-year-old Eitan Yahalomi fall into his mother's arms again on television. He has been in captivity since the Oct. 7 attack.
On that day, Gutman said the family was kidnapped from their home in Nir Oz, a kibbutz in southern Israel.
Eitan's mother and sisters escaped. His father Ohad, the cousin of Gutman's sister-in-law, was shot and wounded. Eitan was taken to Gaza.
Video released by Hamas' military wing showed Eitan being taken to Red Cross vehicles late Monday. Gutman said she is relieved he is alive and seems to be physically well, but wonders if the boy will suffer emotionally.
"I don't know. I hope he can recover from this," Gutman said. "I don't know how he's going to go back to how he was before."
Still, the family has not heard anything about Ohad.
"And that's what's so terrible. We don't know anything. Anything," she said. "We don't even know if he was taken alive. We have no sign of life."
For now, Gutman is processing her overwhelming joy for Eitan's return to his mother and fear for all the children waiting to see their families again.
"We're all missing these kids that we don't know," she said. "And because of my sister-in-law, it's all that more personal for us because it's really close to home."
