‘Is it my beloved or not?’ How Israeli, Palestinian families anxiously wait as day of truce arrives

An excruciating wait is likely to be over for some families in Israel and Palestine. A short break, a four-day pause, from fighting and the release of hostages brings a glimmer of hope after 47 tough days of war between Israel and Hamas. The delayed but anticipated exchange involves the release of 13 Israeli women and children, who were abducted by Hamas terrorists after the 7 October attacks. In exchange, Palestinian prisoners, many of them children, 17 and under, will also be freed from Israeli jails. It is a rollercoaster of emotions as families yearn for reunification amid the ongoing conflict. Once the ceasefire starts in Gaza, the first hostages will be released several hours later. According to Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s foreign ministry, the ceasefire will begin at 7 am Gaza time on Friday. He claimed the first batch of 13 hostages, together with an unspecified number of Palestinian inmates, would be released at 4 pm, calling it “the first glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel,” according to a report in The New York Times. Emotions are running high among Israeli and Palestinian families as they navigate the uncertainties of this fragile situation. Here’s a closer look. ‘Emotional rollercoaster’ The breakthrough swap which was to start on Thursday was pushed back overnight, Israeli officials said, drawing out the anguish of families of the about 240 hostages seized by Hamas militants. **Also Read: Who are the Palestinian prisoners on Israel's list for release?** “We’ve already been on an emotional rollercoaster for 47 days and today is no different,” said Eyal Kalderon, 38, whose cousin Ofer was kidnapped along with his two children, Erez, who turned 12 in captivity, and Sahar who is 16. “We are hoping at the very least that the children will come back as soon as possible,” he said. “Time is running out and they can’t wait any more — not them, not the elderly people, nor those who are sick or wounded.” Standing at his side, Kalderon’s twin sister Yael said they were trying to keep their hopes in check but it was difficult with the situation in flux. “We are trying not to get our hopes up too much and we will only be able to breathe easy when we see them with our own eyes, with the Red Cross,” she told AFPTV. “But it’s hard to ignore the news and it shakes you up.” [caption id=“attachment_13425092” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The ceasefire deal announced by Israel’s government and Hamas early Wednesday fuelled hopes for a break in the fighting and for families to be reunited with their loved ones. AP[/caption] News that 13 hostages would be released at 4.00 pm (local time) on Friday was likely to cause more emotional turmoil among the families, said a doctor working with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. It is supporting more than 1,000 close family members who have people held in Gaza. “Imagine what it’s like for the families,” Professor Hagai Levine, who heads its medical team, told AFP. “Some know it’s probably not their time because it’s women and children but still there’s hope: maybe my beloved will be released, they just don’t know. “Now they have this uncertainty for 24 hours… imagine the unbelievable tension: is it my beloved or not?” **Also Read: How Israel’s Unit 504 is uncovering Hamas presence in Gaza** The hostages would be handed to the Red Cross and then passed on to the Israeli army with doctors on hand to meet them, although the families would not meet them at the handover site “for safety issues”. ‘The best birthday present’ The Kalderon siblings said their cousin Ofer would be marking his 53rd birthday in captivity in Gaza on Saturday, after his son Erez turned 12 on 27 October. “For Ofer, the best present will be knowing that his children are coming back to us here, and will be with their mum Hadass and with the whole loving family,” Eyal said. Under the terms of the four-day truce agreement, 50 hostages from Israel will initially be exchanged for 150 Palestinian prisoners, with the potential for further swaps at the same ratio. [caption id=“attachment_13425102” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A member of Israeli security forces looks at posters of children held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, displayed ahead of an anticipated hostage release, in Tel Aviv, Israel. AP[/caption] Israeli authorities have published a list of 300 eligible detainees, without specifying the order of release. An Israeli official source said the prisoner handover would happen after the hostages were safely in Israel’s hands, with those slated for release coming from three prisons in Israel and the occupied West Bank. “They will be taken to Ofer military camp on buses belonging to the prisons authority” where they would be freed, the source said, referring to a camp near Ramallah in the West Bank. In Beit Safafa, in annexed East Jerusalem, the mother of one 23-year-old Palestinian prisoner said tension had skyrocketed after the deal was delayed. **Also Read: Behind the scenes of the Israel deal with Hamas for the release of 50 hostages** “Only God knows how bad I feel,” said Fatina Salman, whose daughter Malak was arrested on her way to school when she was 16 for trying to stab a policeman in Jerusalem. “I can’t think any more, we are waiting and I’m scared something will go wrong,” she said. “Every development stresses me,” she said, her voice trembling. “I haven’t slept since we were told about an agreement, I worry all the time.” With inputs from AFP