Families of the American hostages felt a different momentum on Wednesday morning in what was likely their last call with members of the Biden administration, just a few hours before the ceasefire and hostage deal was officially announced, Liz Hirsh Naftali, great aunt of former hostage Abigail Mor Edan who turned four while in Hamas captivity, told The Jerusalem Post.
The American families are all waiting and are just starting to understand what this deal means, Naftali said.
"This is the one thing I've learned from being a hostage family and waiting for your loved one to come out: until you see them on the list, you're waiting," she said. "And even when they're on the list, until you actually see that person free, there is nothing."
Naftali described the fact that Israel and Hamas both agreed to the deal - and that Biden's and Trump's teams were in collaboration - as remarkable.
"We are in this amazing place in the United States," she told The Post, explaining how the American hostage families worked to keep their efforts bipartisan.
Biden and Trump cooperation
Having Biden and Trump in cooperation is an important statement for the United States, she added.
Naftali said the American families have already met with Trump's incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witcoff.
Though Naftali herself wasn't in those meetings, she said the other families very much felt that the Trump team was "engaged, thoughtful and caring."
"We want to make sure that is a smooth transition, so that nothing gets lost in this process," Naftali said. "I believe that the Biden administration is handing it off in a way that is very helpful, and having the Trump team be a part of it is really important."
Though there's a cautious optimism, she added, about reaching the second phase of the deal and returning all of the hostages.
"We must embrace this moment and keep building on it," Naftali said.
Naftali will be among the eight American hostage families in attendance at Trump's inauguration Monday.