Live updates: Massachusetts reacts to Israel-Hamas war

Almost two months after Hamas launched an attack on Israel, thousands of lives have been lost. The initial attack killed more than 1,400 in Israel, while the ensuing war has caused the deaths of at least 14,800 Palestinians, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

After a ground invasion brought Israeli troops into Gaza City, negotiators finally had a breakthrough and a temporary ceasefire began on Nov. 24. Some of the estimated 200 hostages taken by Hamas are being released, and there is hope that the break in the fighting will continue. 

The war has sent reverberations around the globe, affecting many in Massachusetts. Follow here for live updates.

Hamas released 11 hostages on Monday, all women and children taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz in Israel, The New York Times reported. 

Among them were Sahar Kalderon, 16, and her brother Erez, 12. They are the young cousins of Jason Greenberg, of Needham, The Boston Globe reported. After being released into the care of Red Cross officials, the two siblings were medically evaluated and reunited with their mother and sister.

Monday marked the fourth day of the ceasefire. There were 13 hostages released Friday, 13 more Saturday, and 14 Sunday. Israel and Hamas agreed to extend the ceasefire for two more days past Monday, according to the Associated Press. 

Ofer Kalderon, 53, is the father of Erez and Sahar. He is believed to still be in Gaza as a hostage. 

“There’s no prospect of him being released soon, so that weighs on me heavily, as it does for the rest of my family,” Greenberg told the Globe. 

Greenberg lost his aunt, Carmela Dan, 80, and her granddaughter Noya, 13, on Oct. 7 as they were being taken into Gaza. Noya, an avid “Harry Potter” fan, was autistic, Israeli officials said in a social media post last month. A few days later, they announced that the bodies of Noya and Carmela Dan had been found. 

“They loved to spend Shabbat together,” Greenberg told the Globe. “It was just another Friday night, spending the night at Grandma’s house… That’s where their fate was sealed.”

According to Greenberg, Ofer was separated from his children while they were being abducted. The Needham resident found some solace in the fact that the two siblings were released together. 

“The fact that they were released at the same time on the same day is improbable to say the least,” he told the Globe. “Their father was not being held with them, so he probably doesn’t have any idea what’s happening, but I do believe, as a father myself, somewhere deep down he had some feeling that his children had reached safety.”

Previous live updates can be found here.