Peace deal only chance’ to free hostages, say families

Those waiting for relatives and friends to come home after being held in Gaza urge Israel and Hamas to honour ceasefire

- BEL TREW

Families of hostages still inside Gaza have warned that this ceasefire is “the one and only chance” to bring everyone home, as fears grow that the deal could flounder with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of breaching the terms.

Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian detainees as part of the first sixweek phase of the ceasefire. However, a delay in freeing a different female hostage prompted Israel to block hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from returning to the enclave’s bombed-out north until the issue is resolved.

Both sides have since accused each other of breaching the terms of the deal, sparking concerns that this could hinder further releases or even scupper the agreement entirely. Relatives, friends and supporters of the hostages gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, calling for everyone involved to do “everything possible” to hold the deal until all the remaining 90 hostages are returned.

“I am worried because this is the one and only chance to bring everyone home,” said Efrat Machikawa, 56, whose uncle Gadi Moses, 80, was taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

The grandfather is on the list of those due to be released in the next few weeks as part of the first phase of the ceasefire. But the last proof of life the family received was in December 2023, when he appeared in an Islamic Jihad video, which Ms Machikawa could only bear to watch once.