Middle EastAnalysis

Joy mixed with trepidation as Israel awaits return of hostages

News of ceasefire was greeted not with exuberant celebrations but rather with a sombre recognition that finally Israel has reached the beginning of the end

Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan, who was abducted during the October 2023 Hamas attacks, holds a poster of her son outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday. Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA
Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan, who was abducted during the October 2023 Hamas attacks, holds a poster of her son outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Friday. Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA

On Sunday, barring a last-minute hitch, the Gaza ceasefire will get under way, with the first three hostages due to be freed.

Over the following six weeks, during the first stage of the ceasefire, an additional 30 hostages will be set free. Another 65 hostages, some of whom have died, will remain in Gaza and are scheduled to be released in stages two and three (if the process is still on track).

The staggered release of hostages brings back memories in Israel of November 2023, when 105 captives were freed in return for the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.

The drama surrounding those events was matched only by the ecstasy of the waiting families who embraced their loved ones on their return.

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This time it will be different.

The news of the ceasefire was greeted with a huge, collective sigh of relief. But there were no wild celebrations – rather a sombre recognition that finally Israel has reached the beginning of the end after more than 460 days.

The main difference this time is that roughly half of the 98 captives in Gaza are believed to be dead. While some families will experience joyful reunifications, others will bury their loved ones.

Hamas has provided very little information on the fate of the captives and consistently refused calls for International Red Cross visits. Many on the list presumed alive may also be dead: possibly killed during Israeli strikes, murdered by captors or having succumbed to illness or injury sustained when they were seized.

UN estimates that 1.9m people displaced from Gaza’s 2.3m populationOpens in new window ]

A second difference is the length of time the hostages have been in captivity. The hostages released in November 2023 had been in Gaza for 50 days: those being released over the next six weeks will have been in the Hamas tunnels for almost 500 days.

Many of those released in November 2023 reported physical, psychological or sexual abuse. All suffered weight loss and a host of medical conditions related to harsh conditions of internment. Many were kept in cramped conditions in dark tunnels with no fresh air or exercise, often with pitta bread and small piece of cheese for daily nourishment.

Israel’s top doctors and psychologists have been drafted to treat the returning hostages but admit that they are in uncharted waters.

Adding to the anguish of the relatives is the fear that the sides will not progress to stage two after six weeks, leaving hostages in Gaza.

And finally, there is little joy this time around because the price is so high. The Palestinians released in the first stage were mostly petty criminals and minors. This time hundreds of militants are being set free who have taken part in attacks resulting in the death of many Israelis. In Israel, it is expected that most will resume militant activity and some will take part in attacks in which Israelis will be killed.