(JNS)

As the Israeli cabinet is set to convene to approve the current ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas, Jason Greenberg, whose cousins were taken captive by terrorists on Oct. 7, said that every day the hostages are not returned home is a day too long. 

“Israel has an exemplary history of not leaving anyone behind,” he told JNS. “ It’s a bad deal for Israel, but it’s a deal that should have been done a long time ago.” 

“These hostages have to come home,” he said.

Greenberg, who lives in the greater Boston area, was in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and started receiving “frantic messages from family members that were victims of the attack.” Those relatives included Noya and Carmela Dan, whom Hamas terrorists killed that day. Hamas also took Ofer Kalderon and his two children Sahar and Erez—Greenberg’s cousins—hostage from their house in Kibbutz Nir Oz. 

Greenberg told JNS that he feels “a heavy sense of skepticism” about the incoming deal.Related Articles

“I won’t believe it until I see his face emerge,” he said, of his cousin Ofer. “There is just no doubt that it won’t be a joyous reunion. These are going to be shells of people, who have had to endure the unimaginable.” 

“It’s just my ardent hope that these people are able to claw their way back into living some semblance of normalcy,” he said.

Kalderon’s children were released on Nov. 27, 2023 after 52 days in captivity, as part of a prior deal between Israel and Hamas, but Ofer remains captive. 

“When my family members were released, it was nothing short of a miracle,” Greenberg said. “They are already trying to put their psyches and their lives back together both as minors, but one big piece of the puzzle that’s still missing for them is their dad.”

Greenberg described the current agreement on the table as a “deal with the devil.” 

“You are letting out hundreds and hundreds of violent Palestinian prisoners that have committed egregious crimes and would commit them again if given the opportunity,” he said. “But it’s a necessary evil to get these hostages back.” 

The first phase of the deal is set to take effect on Sunday at 12:15 p.m. and will see 33 of the remaining hostages released. Ofer, who is above military age, is reportedly on the list to be released in the first phase. 

“We don’t know the vital status of any of these hostages,” Greenberg said. “I don’t know if my cousin will even come back alive.” 

He described Ofer as “a family man” and “peace loving,” adding that “he’s got one of the most good-natured, easy-going personalities you’ll ever meet.”

Greenberg told JNS that he considers the Israeli government’s strategy to the war, which he described as prioritizing destroying Hamas over freeing hostages, as a “very morally repugnant approach.” 

“From a militaristic point of view, it’s one that you can understand at least,” he said. “But it doesn’t change the fact that there are thousands and thousands of people, who have been holding their breath collectively since Oct. 7 for the return of their loved ones.” 

“There are players on both sides that would like nothing more than to see this deal torpedoed,” he added.

“It’s good to remember how disgusting it is that Hamas is using potentially dead bodies as bargaining chips to get what it wants,” Greenberg told JNS. “People are well-advised to remember that we are not dealing with a rational organization here, or one that plays by the rules.”

But Greenberg also thinks that a “very ultra, right-wing sect of the Israeli government” is trying to shut the deal down. He described Bezalel Smotrich, the Israeli finance minister who has threatened to leave the government, as “hawkish as it gets.”

He also thinks that the Jewish state has “objectively failed these hostages,” noting that the country released thousands of Palestinian prisoners, including Hamas leader and Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar, for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

“Any more time that these people have to spend in captivity suffering is too much,” he said. He added that “the deal has almost materialized a few times and then Hamas blew it up.”

As the start date for the deal approaches, Greenberg said it is important for him, as someone with strong ties to Israel and a strong Jewish identity, to continue to speak out for the hostages. Especially in America, people do not know what it is like to live with the imminent, existential threat that Israelis face every day, he believes.

“We can’t conceive of what an Oct. 7 is like,” he told JNS. “I felt obligated to help people understand that these are real people. They’re not just news stories. They’re not just numbers.” 

“This could be your cousin,” he said. “This could be your brother or sister that was a victim of this attack.”

For every hostage that was released in the November 2023 ceasefire, Greenberg notes that there were more than 100 who did not return home. The current agreement is “not a good deal,” he thinks, but “one that has to be taken.” 

“Where there are glimmers of hope, they’re tempered by the reminder that there are others that still need to come back,” he said.