By MELANIE LIDMAN, SAM MEDNICK and WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The ceasefire announced between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday gave hope to families of hostages and war-weary Palestinians in the Gaza Strip — but their nightmare is far from over.
Families of the hostages do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead, and many will have to wait for a phase of the agreement that has yet to be negotiated.
In war-ravaged Gaza, many displaced Palestinians do not know if their homes are still standing, thousands are still buried under rubble and dozens are missing after encounters with Israeli forces. Vast areas appear uninhabitable, and it could take decades to rebuild.
In the tense leadup to the announcement of the deal, relatives of the hostages were afraid to get their hopes up and agonizing over the unknown.
“These days are horrible for us,” Yafit Zailer said Wednesday, breaking down into sobs over the thought of her relatives — Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir — being released after 15 months of captivity.
“I want to know already if they’re coming back,” Zailer said hours before the agreement was announced. “I want to know already if they’re OK or not. I want to hold my cousin in my arms and celebrate the biggest celebration.”
It has taken a year of intensive diplomacy by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to pause the war sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel and pave the way for the release of dozens of hostages.
But if talks over the second — and more difficult — phase of the ceasefire deal break down, the war could resume, bringing even more death, destruction and displacement to Gaza and an even longer wait for families of the hostages.
Do we plan for a funeral or a celebration?
Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two red-haired sons, 5-year-old Ariel and Kfir — who will turn 2 on Saturday — were among the roughly 250 hostages dragged into Gaza in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed.
Kfir, who was then 9 months old, was the youngest to be taken captive. The infant with red hair and a toothless smile, who has been in captivity for almost two thirds of his life, has become a symbol across Israel for the helplessness and anger over the hostages’ plight.
Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were supposed to be released with other women and children during a ceasefire in November 2023, but it fell apart after a week. All four members of the family were on a list obtained by The Associated Press that named 33 hostages who could be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in the initial six-week phase of the agreement announced Wednesday.
Daniel Lifshitz’ 84-year-old grandfather, Oded, is being held captive in Gaza along with many of his friends. His grandmother was released shortly after the initial attack.
He said ahead of the announcement that the deal would provide only some relief.
“Another roller coaster is coming — is he alive or not? Should I prepare (for) a funeral or should I prepare (for) a celebration?” said Lifshitz. It’s something his family doesn’t want to discuss.
Some 100 hostages remain captive inside Gaza, a mix of civilians and soldiers, as well as around a dozen foreign nationals from Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania. The military believes at least a third of the remaining hostages — and up to half of them — are dead.
The three-phased agreement would begin with the release of 33 women, children, older adults and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel. Soldiers and other male captives would be released in the second phase.
Herut Nimrodi’s son, Tamir, was abducted from his army base on Oct. 7. The now 20-year-old soldier won’t be included in the deal’s first phase, and she worries that if the ceasefire doesn’t hold, pressure to release the remaining hostages will decline because there will be fewer of them.
Hamas says it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas’ military and governing abilities are destroyed.
If no agreement is reached on the second phase, the war could resume this spring.
‘We have no strength left’
For hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in squalid tent camps and fearing Israeli airstrikes, the end of the war cannot come soon enough. Previous breakdowns in the talks have been followed by renewed Israeli offensives.
“Last night the shelling and bombing here didn’t stop for a moment,” said Sulaiman Qasem, a coordinator with a medical charity in Gaza City. “It’s absolute madness.”
The war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Israel’s offensive has reduced large areas of the strip to rubble and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million, leaving many at risk of famine.
Rola Saqer’s daughter was born on the first day of the war, and nearly every day since has been a struggle to find safety, food and health care.
The family fled their apartment and was forced to live in a cramped tent with other relatives. Saqer said her daughter, Massa Zaqout, has difficulty walking and worries the lack of proper nutrients will affect her development.
The proposed ceasefire deal includes a surge of humanitarian aid, and would allow Palestinians to start returning to their homes, assuming they still exist.
“We have no strength left,¨ said Rami Abu Shera, who was displaced from his home in Khan Younis. “We are waiting for there to be no blood, no killings, no wounded, no destruction, no displacement. It is enough,” he said.
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Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
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