NJ Spotlight News
'One is back, and one is dead,' hostage family's anguish
Clip: 12/1/2023 | 5mVideo has Closed Captions
On Wednesday, Hamas let former Metuchen man's daughter go in the second-to-last exchange
For Yehuda Beinin, a grueling wait has ended in joy and grief. Hamas took the man's daughter Liat and her husband Aviv hostage during the Oct. 7 terror attack at Kibbutz Nir Oz — where a quarter of the 400 residents were reported killed, captured or missing. His family spent more than 50 days hoping for news, and watching each hostage release.
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NJ Spotlight News is a local public television program presented by THIRTEEN PBS
NJ Spotlight News
'One is back, and one is dead,' hostage family's anguish
Clip: 12/1/2023 | 5mVideo has Closed Captions
For Yehuda Beinin, a grueling wait has ended in joy and grief. Hamas took the man's daughter Liat and her husband Aviv hostage during the Oct. 7 terror attack at Kibbutz Nir Oz — where a quarter of the 400 residents were reported killed, captured or missing. His family spent more than 50 days hoping for news, and watching each hostage release.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThe bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas has resumed after the collapse of a fragile seven day truce, with each side blaming the other.
The Israeli military restarted airstrikes on Gaza, accusing Hamas of violating the cease fire agreement by firing a rocket at Israel just before the deal expired.
Hamas denies those claims.
The temporary pause in fighting allowed for the release of more than 105 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip and 240 Palestinian prisoners and detainees from Israel.
International mediators say the fresh combat complicates mediation efforts, but that negotiations are continuing with the aim of returning to a pause.
Still, Israel's immediate bombing of Gaza has already killed another estimated 100 Palestinians, in addition to more than 13,000 total in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry.
Israeli Defense Forces estimate 1200 people were killed in the October 7th Hamas attack and around 140 people are still being held captive.
Those on the ground say they're bracing in agony for this next round of war, including Israeli-American Yehuda Beinin.
He tells our senior correspondent, Brenda Flanagan, his daughter was among the most recent hostages released.
She's safe now at home, but his son in law is not.
One is back and one is dead.
For Yehuda Beinin, in a grueling wait, ended in joy and grief.
Hamas took his daughter, Liat, and her husband of five hostage during the October 7th terror attack at Kibbutz near us, where a quarter of the 400 residents were reported killed, captured or missing.
Their family spent more than 50 days hoping for news watching each hostage release.
On Wednesday, Hamas finally let Liat go.
In the second to last exchange.
Without a doubt, this has been one one hell of a roller coaster ride.
On the one hand, our daughter was released from captivity in Gaza.
But the family's joy lasted less than 24 hours before they got another phone call about Aviv.
We were informed about the death of the husband on the first day of the fighting on October 7th and up until yesterday, my little girl actually my son was body is still being held by Hamas.
Benin's remained his family's solid rock of support throughout the emotional upheaval there spread out, but close knit.
Bonin grew up in McCutchen, attended Rutgers.
So as far as I'm concerned, up in New Jersey, his two daughters have dual citizenship.
The family moved to Israel in 1982 lliat settled their daughter Tal lives in Oregon.
They often vacationed in the U.S. together.
Now they've gathered to plan a bruised funeral.
We'll mourn and rejoice together.
As strange and difficult as that is, Elliott's dad calls his daughter very strong.
The 49 year old's got three kids aged 18 to 22.
She's a high school teacher and a guide at Israel's Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem.
Her family advocated with diplomats for Liat's release.
He says she was fortunate she was being held by a civilian employee or something like that.
So he was the people who were holding her were being paid to hang on to her.
That was held in relatively good conditions.
That no way reflects upon the situation for other hostages.
Now that the week long cease fires come to a sudden end and hostage exchange is paused, his thoughts turn to the other families.
People are terrified to the ramifications of what renewed fighting means.
He tried to describe the feeling of waiting without word to hear of a loved one in captivity.
My family's personal tragedy aside, we're still many people were hanging between the sky on the ground, hanging mid-air.
We'd say English, and my heart goes out to them.
Burnings critical of the Red Cross for not doing more to help the hostages.
But the agency says it was denied access to them.
He praised the Biden administration's negotiations and spoke with the president during a Zoom call.
But he warned the current Israeli government will face a reckoning once the fighting stops.
After that, the only thing left to do here is to figure out how to live together.
He admits that could take generations.
I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ.
Spotlight News.
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