When Palestinian militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023 and captured approximately 250 people, it immediately raised a question.
0 became crucial to much of Israeli society.
The captives immediately became a symbol for Israelis to justify their brutal war on Gaza - a war that has now killed more than 46,800 Palestinians. But the topic has also divided Israelis, with many, particularly those who support opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, insisting the government has not done enough to reach a deal that would free them.
Now that a ceasefire has been agreed, the nightmare of captivity in Gaza may be coming to an end.
Around 100 Israeli prisoners are believed to remain in the Gaza Strip, all of whom are expected to be released if the deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas is fully implemented.
But not everything will be released immediately. During the first six weeks of the deal, 33 captives are expected to be gradually released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Israeli prisoners to be released during this phase include some who are sick or injured, as well as female soldiers and men over 50 years old.
Egypt said those released in the first phase would be used in exchange for 1,890 Palestinian prisoners. Israel said it would release 95 Palestinians, all women and children, on the first day of the ceasefire on Sunday.
The remaining captives, believed to be male soldiers, will be released in the later stages of the ceasefire in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.
The official list of Israeli prisoners released in the first phase has not yet been released, and while the identities of those still in Gaza are known, it is unclear who is still alive.
In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the ceasefire would not begin until Israel receives a list of prisoners to be released.
Hamas said some Israeli prisoners were killed in Israeli attacks on sites where they were being held, but information about some prisoners was also released in the video.
While all remaining prisoners are Israeli, some are dual nationals, including those from the United States, Argentina and Germany.
Five of the prisoners are believed to be female soldiers captured during the October 7 raid.
Two prisoners expected to be released in the first phase are Israelis captured in Gaza before October 7 and have spent several years in the enclave.
While the Israeli army has released some prisoners during military operations that have killed dozens of Palestinian civilians, more than 100 people, the vast majority of whom left Gaza, were released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023.
In that prisoner exchange, freed prisoners were transferred by Palestinian militants to the Red Cross and then handed over to Israeli forces.
Israel has prepared medical teams to receive the captives, and Haggai Levin, head of the hostage family forum's health team, predicts that many will develop cardiovascular and respiratory problems after spending so long in underground tunnels.
The issue of prisoners has been a central talking point for Israel and pro-Israel supporters since the war began.
Freeing prisoners has been one of Israel's main war goals, but it could also conflict with one of its other stated goals - the total defeat of Hamas.
That's because since the war began, Hamas has offered to release prisoners as part of a deal to end the war, a demand that Israel's prime minister until recently rejected.
Indeed, Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has claimed that he has been able to use his political power over the past year to prevent any agreement from being reached, essentially putting the defeat of Hamas on the line. Sri Lanka and the establishment of a prisoner exchange to release prisoners above illegal Israeli settlements in Gaza. Ben Gwell is now expected to deliver on his promise to resign if the deal goes through.
However, the return of the captives is the primary demand of many Israelis. Their pictures are plastered on posters across Israel, and demands to "bring them home immediately" are often heard at protests. A square in Tel Aviv has been renamed "Hostage Square" and is a focus of demonstrations.
A movement representing the captives' families, who have often clashed with members of the Israeli government, has pledged to continue pushing for the prisoners' release. "We will not allow them (far-right ministers) to undermine the full implementation of the agreement," a spokesman said at an event in support of the ceasefire on Saturday.