NEEDHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Holding a picture of her cousin, Tamar Davis Galper, of Brookline, says she's feeling hope and heartbreak after hearing Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal on Wednesday.
Galper's cousin was killed in an attack on Israel.
"We see his spirit everywhere," said Galper. "His bright smile, his leadership, his laughter. It stays close with us."
"These are real people," Galper continued. "These are real people with real families who are waiting."
As families await word on when hostages could come home, Galper is waiting on closure for her cousin Omer Neutra.
He was raised in New York and he moved to Israel, serving in the army.
Following the October 7 attack, his family spent months thinking he was held hostage.
In December, the Israeli defense force confirmed Omer was killed in the attack. He was 21 years old.
"For 14 months we've held out the hope that he was alive," said Galper. "We believed, we prayed, we advocated and our hopes were crushed."
While it's not the outcome her family was hoping for, they're holding out hope Omer can still be brought back home for a proper burial.
They're also holding out hope for the families of other hostages, like the family of 54-year-old Ofer Calderon.
Jason Greenberg of Needham is Calderon's cousin.
"We're just waiting to see if it actually comes together," said Greenberg.
Ofer and his two children were kidnapped during the October 7 attack.
The two kids were released the following month, as part of a temporary ceasefire deal, but Ofer remains a hostage.
Greenberg says he hasn't heard any updates about his cousin since August, but he's hoping their family can be reunited again through this deal on the table,
"I think that's the last piece of the puzzle," said Greenberg. "For them to actually begin their recovery."
As those with connections to Israel hold out hope, so do people supporting Palestinians caught up in the conflict in Gaza, optimistic that a ceasefire agreement could help bring peace and lead to lasting change.
"My heart is cautiously optimistic that this is going to be the start of bringing peace into the region of Palestine and specifically for the people of Gaza who have been so terribly disrupted and who's lives have been so mercilessly lost," said Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, executive director of Cair Boston.
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