Hostage families in Israel express cautious optimism after ceasefire deal: ‘We hope they come back alive’
TEL AVIV — Israeli negotiators reached an agreement with the terrorist group Hamas for a hostage ceasefire deal that will also reportedly allow the release of thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, many with bloodied hands, and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from key areas of the Gaza Strip.
“I’m trying to breathe,” Efrat Machikawa, the niece of Israeli prisoner Gadi Moses, told Fox News Digital in response to the developments.
“We won’t know for sure that this is really happening until we get a phone call to come see Gadi in the hospital. Although I’m an optimist by nature, I’m trying to control myself because we’ve been so close to so many jobs since the last time my aunt Margalit was released,” Machikawa said.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASES FIRE, AGREEMENT REACHED ON THE RELEASE OF HOSTAGES
Sharon Lifschitz and Noam Sagi, two British Israelis living in London whose parents are among the hostages held by Hamas in London, show pictures of loved ones captured by Hamas during the Defend Israeli Democracy UK press conference at the Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London. Gauze. (Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images/File)
In November 2023, a week-long cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas freed 105 hostages from Gaza.
Palestinian terrorists are still holding 98 hostages in Gaza, 94 of whom were kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, massacre. 36 hostages are confirmed dead.
“I am disappointed that this agreement does not address all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way to see when my son will be released from captivity,” Ruby Chen, father of the American-Israeli IDF Sergeant Itay Chenhe told Fox News Digital.
Chen visited Qatar last week to meet with US negotiators.
“We will continue the fight until all the hostages come out,” he said. “With the inauguration of President-elect Trump next week, I hope he will say in his speech, ‘Mr. Chen, I am able to bring your son back.'”
From left, American hostages being held in Gaza: Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Keith Siegel, Omer Neutra, Judi Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai and Itay Chen (son of Ruby Chen) (Fox News)
“My focus is on the second phase when my son will be freed,” Yehuda Cohen, the father of IDF soldier Nimrod Cohen, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Nirim on October 7, 2023, told Fox News Digital.
“He is one of the youngest and one of three living soldiers who have been captured in uniform. I suspect he will be one of the last to be freed,” Cohen continued. “Then he would be in captivity for about a year and a half, and I don’t know what his condition is physically or mentally. Soon our private fight will begin to return him to a normal life.”
OUR DADDY’S WIFE KETH SIEGEL IS BEGGING FOR A HOLIDAY MIRACLE: ‘WE HAVE TO GET THEM BACK’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. (prime minister’s media adviser)
Breakthrough in negotiations that have been stalled for a long time came after the US Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoffmet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend in Jerusalem. The two held a “tense” meeting, according to local media, with Witkoff demanding significant concessions.
Trump warned on Monday that failure to reach an agreement would have consequences.
“If they don’t do it, there’s going to be a lot of problems that they’ve never seen before,” he said.
During the Hamas terrorist invasion 467 days ago, the Bibas family, including mother Shiri, husband Yarden and their children, Ariel, 4, and 9-month-old baby Kfira, were taken by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Relatives and friends of people killed or abducted by Hamas and taken to Gaza react to a ceasefire announcement as they take part in protests in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
“We hope they come back alive and we can treat them, do the best for them to adjust. But we don’t know what kind of situation they will come back in. We are very afraid,” Jimmy Miller, cousin of Shiri Bibas, told Fox News Digital.
“I hope for the best, but I don’t want to be disappointed if something bad happens. I try not to think about it too much before it actually happens. We thought it would happen before. It’s Kfir’s Saturday [second] birthday. Maybe he can celebrate it with us a few days later,” he added.
A woman holds a poster of Israeli hostage Omer Neutra during a memorial vigil held in New York on Nov. 1, 2023, for people killed during a Hamas attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Hostage and Missing Families Forum Headquarters issued a statement: “We, the families of the 98 hostages, welcome with tremendous joy and relief the agreement to bring our loved ones home. We wish to express our deep gratitude to President-elect Trump, President Biden, both administrations and the international mediators who made it possible Since November 2023, we have been anxiously awaiting this moment, and now, after the end After 460 days of keeping our family members in the tunnels Hamas, we are closer than ever to being reunited with our loved ones.
“This is a significant step forward that brings us closer to the return of all hostages – the living to rehabilitation, and the deceased to a proper burial,” the statement continued. “However, we are deeply anxious and concerned about the possibility that the agreement may not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind. We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure that all phases of the agreement are implemented.”
“We will not rest until we see the last hostage at home.”
