Families of hostages in Gaza hope ceasefire talks will end their nightmare

Families of hostages in Gaza hope for breakthrough in cease-fire talks after 300 days of captivity.

Some families of hostages held in Gaza believe the latest round of cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas could be the last best chance to set their loved ones free after more than 300 days of captivity.

The families have advocated tirelessly to secure the release of their relatives, who were snatched on October 7, 2023, during Hamas’ cross-border attack that started the war.

Their hope that the latest talks could result in a breakthrough is tinged by 10 months of disappointment – and the growing fear of a wider Mideast war as Israel faces rising tensions with Iran and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon.

Roughly 110 hostages remain in Gaza after about 100 were freed during a brief cease-fire in late November. More than 40,000 Palestinians have died in the war, according to Gaza health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Throughout the war, the families of hostages have pushed on with anguish and despair, rallying Israelis to their cause, lobbying local and foreign lawmakers, pleading that someone put an end to their nightmare.

They’ve watched as multiple rounds of negotiations have crumbled. And they’ve increasingly directed their ire at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who they accuse of prioritising his political survival over the fate of their loved ones.

“We need a cease-fire to get them all back,” said Zahiro Shahar Mor, a nephew of Avraham Munder, 78, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his wife, his daughter and grandson – the latter three having returned during the first and only truce deal. “Had Netanyahu wanted them here, they would have been here.”