Families of those held captive in Gaza share with Scripps News that the hours and days ahead will be filled with hope and extreme agony as they anxiously await news of their loved ones' potential release.
When will he see his six missing relatives again, if ever?
That’s all Moran Alony has been thinking about since his two sisters, three young nieces, and brother-in-law were kidnapped by Hamas from Israel on Oct. 7.
"I don't know how I would feel for every hostage that is being released that is not my sister or my nieces,” said Alony, adding that the unknown is simply unbearable. “Just think about someone that tells you that maybe, maybe not, you'll see your family in one, two, three, four, or five days. But they're not sure."
Alony says that he’s reached a point where all the discussions about hostages being released mean “nothing” to him anymore.
"I know that people are saying it's a good deal. It's a bad deal. People are talking in terms of deal when they miss the fact that there are people behind it,” said Alony.
His sister Sharon, accompanied by her husband David and their 3-year-old twin daughters Emma and Yuli, and his other sister Danielle with her 5-year-old daughter Amelia, have been missing for almost 50 days.
Alony, who is in Israel, says that every day is a nightmare made worse by thoughts of what his young nieces must be going through at such a young age.
"They don't have the emotional tools, tools that we as grownups have to cope with this kind of situation. And it's killing me every single time that I'm thinking about it,” said Alony.
However, should his nieces be released, the initial thing he expresses is his commitment to support them in every possible way.
"We obviously want to hug them, and protect them, and understand how we can help to make them get out of whatever state they were in for this entire time,” said Alony.
Alony says he has thought for weeks about what a reunion with his family would look like.
"What I see in front of my face, in my imagination, is that we all sit together again on a Friday around a table and just be together,” said Alony.
But for that to happen, he needs all six of his relatives to return.
"There is no win without everyone here. And not just my family,” said Alony.
Understanding how the Hamas hostage negotiations worked
Discussions have involved not just heads of state and diplomats but also U.S. and Israeli intelligence.
