Tel Aviv, Israel—— As a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas looms, families of hostages in the Gaza Strip are afraid to get their hopes up and are tormented by the unknown.
“These are terrible days for us,” Yafet Zaire said Wednesday, thinking of her relatives — Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two young children, Ariel and Kfir — after 15 months in captivity. After being released, she couldn't help sobbing.
"I'm already wondering if they're going to come back," Zaire said. "I already wonder if they are okay. I want to hold my cousin in my arms and have the biggest celebration."
Over the past year, the United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate an end to the war sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and released dozens of hostages captured that day. Officials now say they are closer than ever to announcing a deal.
Even if a deal is reached, the ordeal for the hostages' families and Gaza's war-weary Palestinians may be 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 the later stages of a deal that has not yet been negotiated.
In war-torn Gaza, many displaced Palestinians don't know if their homes are still there, with thousands still buried under rubble and dozens missing after encounters with Israeli forces. Large areas appear uninhabitable and may take decades to rebuild.
If negotiations on the second, and more difficult, phase of the looming cease-fire deal collapse, fighting could resume, bringing more death, destruction and displacement to Gaza, and longer waits for the families of the hostages.
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 approximately 250 hostages dragged into Gaza in the October 7 attack by Hamas. One, the attack started a war. About 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians.
Kfir was only 9 months old at the time, the youngest of the captives. The red-haired baby with a toothless smile has spent nearly two-thirds of his life in captivity and has become a symbol of helplessness and anger across Israel over the hostage plight.
Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were supposed to be released along with other women and children during a ceasefire in November 2023 that collapsed a week later. All four members of the family were on a list obtained by The Associated Press of 33 hostages who could be released during the first six weeks of the draft agreement.
"I want to tell all parties involved in the negotiations that it is time to end this," Zaire said through tears. "It is time to send our people home, it is time to end this war."
Daniel Lifshitz's 84-year-old grandfather Oded is imprisoned in Gaza along with many of his friends. His grandmother was released shortly after the initial attack.
As he waited for news, Lifschitz scrolled through his phone for updates and looked to hostage negotiators for positive signs. He said of his experiences with them that the less reactive they were, the more positive things seemed. But even announcing a deal would bring only some relief.
"Another rollercoaster is coming - is he still alive? Should I prepare for a funeral or a celebration?" Lifshitz said. It's something his family doesn't want to discuss.
About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, including civilians and soldiers, as well as about a dozen foreigners from Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania. The military believes at least a third - and possibly as many as half - of the remaining hostages are dead.
The three-phase deal would begin with the release of 33 women, children, elderly and injured civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel. Soldiers and other male prisoners will be released in the second phase.
Herut Nimrodi's son Tamir was abducted from his military base on October 7. The 20-year-old soldier will not be included in the first phase of the deal and she fears there will be pressure to release the remaining hostages as the number of hostages dwindles if the ceasefire fails to hold.
Hamas has said it will not release the remaining hostages until the war ends, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas's military and governance capabilities are destroyed.
If no agreement is reached on a second phase, the war could resume this spring.
For the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians who live in squalid tent camps and fear Israeli airstrikes, the war can't end soon enough. Israel launched another offensive after previous negotiations broke down.
Suleiman Qasim, coordinator of a medical charity in Gaza City, said: "The best thing now is to stop all operations immediately and declare a truce. The shelling and bombing here did not stop last night." For a moment... This is absolutely crazy. "
According to Gaza's health ministry, the war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians. It did not distinguish between combatants and civilians but said women and children accounted for more than half of the deaths. Israel's offensive has reduced large swaths of the area to rubble and displaced about 90% of the 2.3 million people, leaving many people at risk of famine.
Rola Saqer's daughter was born on the first day of the war and has struggled almost every day since for safety, food and health care.
The family fled the apartment and were forced to live in a cramped tent with other relatives. Thacker said her daughter, Massa Zaqout, has trouble walking and is concerned that a lack of proper nutrition will affect her development.
The proposed ceasefire includes significant humanitarian aid and would allow Palestinians to begin returning to their homes, assuming they still exist.
“We have no strength left,” said Rami Abu Shela, who was displaced from his home in Khan Younis. "What we are waiting for is no bloodshed, no killing, no injuries, no destruction, no displacement. That is enough," he said.
————
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
___
Follow AP's war coverage: