The deal to halt the war between Israel and Hamas and free hostages still held in Gaza has given families exhausted by more than a year of waiting a glimmer of hope they may finally see their loved ones again.
But the hope is only part of the story. Many families of hostages seized from Israel by Hamas on October 7 2023 have no idea what condition their relatives are in, or even whether they are alive. And even those who have indications that their relatives have survived this far do not know whether the deal will hold long enough for them to be freed.
“These truly are probably the most stressful days we’ve experienced in over a year,” Udi Goren — whose cousin Tal Haimi was killed defending kibbutz Nir Yitzhak from the attack by Hamas, which took his body to Gaza — told a press conference on Thursday.