The light at the end of the tunnel may be near. Families of hostages held in Gaza are holding their breath as a ceasefire deal appears within reach.
US President Joe Biden said earlier this week that a truce agreement was “on the verge” to be concluded. Negotiations between Hamas and Israel continue in Doha, Qatar.
Gilad Korngold, whose son Tal Shoham is a hostage of Hamas in Gaza, is however waiting for the return of the captives to believe it.”I’m just waiting to see if it’s a real thing.” he assures Euronews, on the sidelines of a press conference for the families of hostages, Tuesday in Brussels.
Seven members of his family were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7.
Six of them were released on November 25 during the truce negotiated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States. His son is still captive in Gaza.
Hope or mirage?
“We’ve had so many disappointments that I would say I’ll believe it when I see it,” explains Udi Goren.
His cousin Tal Haimi, 42, was taken hostage and taken to Gaza while fighting Hamas terrorists who attacked Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak. 68 days after the outbreak of war, his family was informed that he had been assassinated on October 7. She has since fought for the return of his body to bury him with dignity.
“We await with pain and anxiety his return to be buried in the kibbutz that our grandfathers built, where he was born, where he was raised, where he chose to start a family and where he was ultimately killed”says Udi Goren to Euronews.
Under a version of the deal being negotiated by mediators, Hamas could release 34 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of a ceasefire agreement, according to Israeli media.
“We know that the deal would be in stages, which means Tal would definitely not be released anytime soon,” adds Udi Goren.
Of the 251 hostages, 94 people are still in captivity in Gaza, of whom 34 are dead, according to the Israeli government.
Donald Trump
On his phone, Yotam Cohen, 23, scrolls through photos of his little brother Nimrod Cohen, 20, an Israeli soldier captured by Hamas on October 7 while stationed on the border with Gaza.
Yotam hopes that Donald Trump’s return to the White House will put pressure on the Israeli government to end the war and accelerate the release of the hostages.
“Trump has publicly stated that he wants peace in the Middle East, and I think he understands that Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu, editor’s note) is in the process of reaching a dead end and that the Israeli government is intentionally prolonging the war”he told Euronews.
Donald Trump “wants to have a quiet front in the Middle East to focus on rebuilding America”he believes.
“They should be ashamed”
Certain figures of the Israeli extreme right, such as Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are strongly opposed to any ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
“I would just tell them that they should be ashamed. Coincidentally, they consider themselves religious. Judaism is about compassion. (…) Judaism is about community and trust in community. And that’s is quite the opposite”, denounces Udi Goren.
European Union
Families are also counting on the European Union to put pressure on the parties to reach an agreement and guarantee its implementation.
“Tal (Haimi) is also a Romanian citizen, and we expect the European Union to be part of the solution and to be clear on the need to follow every step and bring every hostage home,” says Udi Goren.
