Families of hostages held in Gaza say delays in the ceasefire and hostage agreement have left them in dire straits and suffering.

Relatives of some of the 98 hostages believed to still be held by Hamas expressed "cautious optimism" about the truce announced by Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, but an Israeli cabinet vote was delayed until Friday by Israel's prime minister. Said Hamas must accept "all elements of the agreement."

Stephen Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi, 52, was taken hostage at Kibbutz Berry, said the delays had caused "further torture" for his family. Brisley's sister Lianne Sharabi (a British citizen) and her daughters Noiya and Yahel were killed in a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.

"I don't really know how to feel because it's still hard to process and it doesn't feel real. I mean I'm cautiously optimistic but also a little cautious because we've had a lot of false dawns in the past," he said.

Israel launched new airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday and accused Hamas of reneging on parts of the deal that was due to take effect on Sunday.

In the first phase, 33 hostages will be released within six weeks in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. The rest will be released in phase two. The 98 hostages - some of whom are believed to be dead - include four taken in 2014 and 2015.

Brisley, from Bridgend, Wales, said he had to adjust his optimism because of the uncertainty.

"The fact that it was officially announced (Wednesday evening) was slightly affected by the events of today, and the cabinet has not yet voted on it. We are hearing conflicting accounts about whether Hamas is trying to change the status quo, or whether this is just politicking," he said.

"It's the usual conflicting information, but all of that is going to cause us further delays and further torture and put us in a difficult position. I'm not at all sure that that's going to happen, under the current structure, in six weeks' time A lot can happen. Cautious optimism is what I want to have most at the moment.”

Adam Ma'anit's 50-year-old cousin Tsachi Idan was held hostage at Nahal Oz kibbutz, as was Brisley Skeptical, he told how he found the staggered nature of the deal "painful and frustrating".

He said his family was unable to mourn Idan's 18-year-old daughter, Maayan, who was killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack. Ma'anit said that when Idan was sent to Gaza, his clothes were still stained with his daughter's blood.

"That's how it has been in the past, we've been seduced by the tantalizing prospect of an impending deal and then it's been snatched away from us and our hopes have been raised to lofty heights only to be dashed on the rocks of despair," the 51-year-old said. Old, living in Brighton.

“Since then, I have learned to remain optimistic and of course be very cautious and skeptical of various anonymous sources, rumors and news, and only when I saw my cousin and 97 other hostages returning from the transport to Israeli territory Will I be satisfied with the concrete results achieved?"

Gilad Korngold, 63, said he had no idea what happened to his son Tal Shoham, 39, who was taken from the Be'eri kibbutz What, his family has been living like "zombies" for the past 467 days.

"It's so scary because I don't know what happened to my son since October 7th and now I don't know if there will be any deal. I hope. I wish, but I'm tired. It's driving us crazy "I and other families are worried for our own reasons," he said.

Eli Albag, the father of 19-year-old Liri Albag, one of the youngest remaining hostages, said he did not want to comment because of remaining uncertainty about the deal .

"We still don't know what happened; so far, the negotiations are not over. We don't know anything. We are still confused," he said.

So do Shaaban Said, whose mentally ill civilian son Hisham Said, a 36-year-old Israeli Bedouin, has been almost exclusively targeted by Hamas for the past nine years imprisoned.

"We feel sad because we don't know what is going on with Hisham and whether the agreement will be fully implemented. I mean, when all the hostages held by Hamas are returned, then we can assess how we feel ," he said.