Israel says 98 hostages remain in Gaza: ‘We haven’t hugged in 467 days’

The ceasefire agreement has left the families of the 98 Israelis with mixed feelings. As negotiators seal the pact, family members report feeling hope, apprehension and even anger when they think about the situation of those still held in the enclave.

Israel believes most of the hostages are alive, but there is no confirmation from Hamas. The initial proposal shared between Israel and Hamas by Qatari mediators called for 33 children, women and older men, as well as sick and injured hostages, to be released in the first phase.

In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would also be released. If all goes well, negotiators will begin talks about releasing the remaining civilians and soldiers, as well as the bodies of dead hostages, as part of a package of measures to end the 15-month war.

The operation to rescue the hostages will be called ‘Wings of Freedom’, say the Israel Defense Forces. In a post on social media, the army said it was preparing to rescue those still in the Gaza Strip.

”This is the last moment, we can save them,” Hadas Calderon, an Israeli whose family was kidnapped, told Reuters. Her husband Ofer and sons Sahar and Erez were taken with about 250 others when Hamas-led gunmen invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Children were freed in the first hostage exchange two years ago and their companion is among those that can be released in the first phase of the new agreement.