Israelis anxiously await ceasefire's next steps — whether they're related to hostages or not
'We will not rest until we see the last hostage back home,' families say
Families with loved ones held captive in the Gaza Strip gathered in the streets of Israel on Wednesday night, hugging one another and lighting candles after negotiators reached a phased deal on Wednesday to end the fighting between Israel and Hamas and secure the hostages' return.
At a coffee shop in the nation's capital, dozens of customers hunched over their phones and laptops, eagerly refreshing their screens for news on the captives they described as kin, if not by blood.
"I feel like it's amazing that we've been all davening so hard for this, here, in America and across the world," said Shira Kronenberg, using the Yiddish word for praying, in Jerusalem. "I'm a teacher, so me and my students, this is what we've all been davening for, for the past year."
The deal reached Wednesday would end the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the United States and Qatar said, after 15 months of bloodshed that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and inflamed the Middle East.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said details are still being finalized and the terms still need to be ratified by Israeli cabinet and government, but the prime minister of Qatar said the deal could come into effect on Sunday.
The deal lays out a complex three-phase deal, the first of which includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and release of hostages taken by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Around 250 people were kidnapped when Hamas-led gunmen stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 soldiers and civilians in the worst attack on Israel in its history.
Roughly 100 Israeli prisoners, including most women, children and foreign labourers, were freed in return for Palestinian detainees in a weeklong ceasefire in November 2023, but those with loved ones still in Gaza have been waiting more than a year to learn of the remaining captives' fate.
In a joint statement Wednesday, families of 98 hostages said they felt "overwhelming joy and relief" at news of a deal but were still afraid the agreement would somehow fall apart.
"This is a significant step forward that brings us closer to seeing all hostages return — the living to rehabilitation, and the deceased for proper burial. However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind," read the statement from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters.
"We will not rest until we see the last hostage back home."
Netanyahu has faced great domestic pressure to bring home the Israelis held captive. Their families have become a powerful lobbying group with wide public support backed by months of mass protests demanding the government strike a deal to return their loved ones.
A group of relatives of Israelis held hostage in Gaza once stormed a parliamentary committee session in Jerusalem to push lawmakers to do more.
"I think that that's amazing, we've been waiting so long for our hostages to finally come home, praying, hoping, and now it's finally happening. And we're so excited," Ariella Cohen, 18, told Reuters as she sat with friends in the Jerusalem cafe.
Former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin said the announcement of Wednesday's deal was a long time coming.
"It is a relief," he said in an interview with CBC News Network. "It has been long overdue and my prayer is that people who are alive are healthy enough to enjoy their freedom."
Still, Beilin said he was concerned the agreement has not yet made the meaning of "permanent ceasefire" explicitly clear.
"What does it mean, a permanent ceasefire? Does it mean the end of the war? I presume that for some pundits, this is the case ... for Netanyahu, it will be very difficult to admit that this is the only interpretation," he said.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed more than 46,000 Palestinian fighters and civilians and devastated the narrow coastal enclave.
The conflict has also spilled over into the broader Middle East, including a war between Israel and Hezbollah now contained by a fragile ceasefire as well as direct conflict between Israel and Iran.
Questions remains about post-war era
There are still many complex questions that need to be answered about the path forward.
If the war comes to an end, Netanyahu will be faced with growing calls for postwar investigations that could find him at least partially responsible for the security failures of Oct. 7 — the worst in Israel's history. His far-right governing partners, who opposed a ceasefire deal, could also bring down the coalition and push the country into early elections.
There is still no plan for who will govern Gaza after the war. Israel has said it will work with local Palestinians not affiliated with Hamas or the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, but it's unclear if such partners exist.
Hamas, which has led the enclave since 2007, has threatened anyone who co-operates with Israeli forces.
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With files from Reuters and The Associated Press