'Absolutely innocent victims': Bay Area leaders react to Israel-Gaza ceasefire agreement

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Videos that have been put out on TV news and social media have been heartbreaking enough, but Rep. Kathy Castor says what she saw behind closed doors as part of a House Foreign Relations Committee classified briefing was even worse than anything that has been publicly shown.

"This is one of the most barbaric scenes I've ever seen, just beyond the imagination. Children burned, [and] parents shot in front of their sons and daughters," Rep. Castor said. "Hand grenades thrown into shelters where families are sheltering."

READ: Israel, Hamas cease-fire deal with hostage release is in final stages

Castor was so horrified that she left the hour-long members-only briefing after twenty minutes.

"[There were] many gasps in the room, people crying," she said during an interview on Tuesday in St. Petersburg. "I don't understand the barbarism, how humans can treat other humans that way."

She said she is hopeful the ceasefire that the Qatari government is spearheading will hold for long enough for Israeli hostages to be released, and for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza. 

She urged Israel to form a concrete plan about what will come after a ceasefire, which could last five days.

"We need to be focused on solutions," she said. "What is going to happen to ensure that the Palestinians can have some self-determination of their state? The same with Israel. It's appropriate for Hamas to be rooted out. They do not believe that Israel should exist in any form or fashion."

The release of hostages has fueled rallies, marches and efforts from the Jewish community around the globe.

"These absolutely innocent victims and bringing them home safely has to be a number one priority," Jeffrey Berger, the president of the Tampa JCC & Federation, said.

Berger says they hope the release of the hostages remain a top priority until every hostage is freed.

"It's easy for us to focus on the plight of the hostages, but really, it's their families and friends that are suffering almost as much as they are because of the constant lack of knowledge, lack of information, fear over what their status is," Berger said. "Because we don't know. We don't know how they've been treated. We don't know if they're healthy, if they're hurt, injured. We don't know anything."

Berger says he has some reservations about the newly announced deal between the Israeli government and Hamas.

"That gives the Hamas militants and terrorists an opportunity to retrench and rearm and reestablish themselves, which in the long run, well could have a tendency to prolong the war," Berger said.

He says the deal is a step in the right direction, but it’s only a stage in a long battle ahead.

"A lot can happen between now and when the hostages actually return home," Berger said. "And then, of course, you know, we'll hear what they say, you know, and that will be very telling and will dictate where and where the negotiations go next and what happens next."

The ceasefire could also open the door for additional humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

"So we need to make sure that the aid gets to the right people and to the people who need it the most, which are the civilians in Gaza," Berger said.