2 cousins of local man among 11 hostages released by Hamas - Boston News, Weather, Sports
NEEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Two members of a local man’s family are now back in Israel after they were among 11 hostages released by Hamas on Monday.
Jason Greenberg of Needham has been waiting for weeks for any signs Hamas would free his captured family members. On Monday, he said his 12-year-old and 16-year-old cousins had been freed and taken to a hospital to be treated by the Red Cross.
Greenberg said his cousins’ father is still being held hostage.
Speaking with 7NEWS, Greenberg said he saw a short video clip of his freed relatives, adding that they seemed to be in good physical condition. Once they’re home, Greenberg said, their community will help them adjust.
“Once they are able to come home and be welcomed by their families, we will be helping them on the road to recovery, to move on with their lives as 12- and 16-year-old children,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg noted his cousins’ resilience, “and their ability to withstand and endure unthinkable circumstances over the past 52 days.”
“We know they have full, bright lives ahead of them,” he continued.
Hostage releases on Monday came as part of a larger deal between Hamas and Israel around what was originally slated to be a four-day ceasefire.
Beginning on Friday, the ceasefire included three previous rounds of hostage releases before Monday’s release.
With the ceasefire due to run out, officials on Monday said Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the pause in fighting for two days.
Israeli officials said Hamas will release 10 additional hostages each day during the ongoing pause. Hamas confirmed it agreed to the two-day extension under the same terms.
US officials said they were not sure exactly how many Americans were still being held by Hamas as of Monday, now more than seven weeks after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
In comments, officials said there could be as few as seven Americans still being held or as many as nine.
RELATED: Israel and Hamas agree to extend truce for two more days, and free more hostages and prisoners
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