A Massachusetts man is breathing a sigh of relief after learning two young family members were among the 11 Israeli hostages freed by Hamas Monday.
Jason Greenberg of Needham told NBC10 Boston Sunday that he had hoped his three cousins would be some of the 17 hostages released that day.
A day later, Israel identified 16-year-old Sahar Calderon and 12-year-old Erez Calderon as two of the newest releases.
Their father, Ophir, was also held hostage, but was not released. Two other cousins, Carmela and Noya, were killed when Hamas invaded in early October.
"Overjoyed that a 16-year-old and 12-year-old get to live their lives, get to move on from this," Greenberg told NBC10 Boston Monday. "At the same time, I'm cognizant that there are others who are anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones."
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and exchange of captives.
Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, and another 33 were expected to be released Monday.
"There's no obvious solution here," said Harvard Professor Melani Cammett, who teaches international affairs and is an expert in the Middle East. "The stated goal is to eliminate Hamas, and we know from research the world over that military operations rarely eliminate insurgent groups, so it's going to be very difficult to achieve that goal."
She says a two-state solution seems further away than ever before.
"Jews and Palestinians are going to live in this land together, whether anyone likes it or not, so that's the beginning premise of any kind of diplomatic solution," Cammett said.
