TEL AVIV — Israeli negotiators have reached agreement with the Hamas terror group for a hostages-for-cease-fire deal that will also reportedly see the release of thousands of Palestinian security prisoners, many with blood on their hands, and an Israeli military withdrawal from key areas of the Gaza Strip.
“I am trying to breathe,” Efrat Machikawa, the niece of Israeli captive Gadi Moses, told Fox News Digital in response to the development.
“We will not know for sure that it is really happening until we will get the phone call to come see Gadi at the hospital. Although I am optimistic by nature, I am trying to control myself because we were very close to so many deals since the last one when my aunt Margalit was released,” Machikawa said.
ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL REACHED
Pictures of loved ones who have been captured by Hamas are shown during a Defend Israeli Democracy UK press conference at Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London by Sharon Lifschitz and Noam Sagi, two London-based British Israelis whose parents are among the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images/File)
In November 2023, a weeklong Israel-Hamas cease-fire agreement saw 105 hostages freed from Gaza.
Palestinian terrorists are still holding 98 hostages in Gaza, 94 of whom were abducted during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. Thirty-six of the hostages have been confirmed dead.
“I am disappointed that this agreement does not talk about all the hostages. It is unacceptable that the second phase is not defined in a way that shows when my son will be released from captivity,” Ruby Chen, the father of American-Israeli IDF Sgt. Itay Chen, told Fox News Digital.
Chen visited Qatar last week to meet with U.S. negotiators.
“We will continue the fight until all the hostages come out,” he said. “With the inauguration of President-elect Trump next week, my hope is that in his speech he will say, ‘Mr. Chen, I am able to get your son back.’”
From left, American hostages being held in Gaza: Edan Alexander, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Keith Siegel, Omer Neutra, Judi Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai and Itay Chen (Ruby Chen’s son) (Fox News)
“My focus is on the second phase when my son will be released,” Yehuda Cohen, the father of IDF soldier Nimrod Cohen who was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Nirim on Oct. 7, 2023, told Fox News Digital.
“He is one of the youngest and one of three living soldiers who were captured in uniform. I assume he will be one of the last to be released,” Cohen continued. “He would have been in captivity for about a year and a half then, and I don’t know what condition he is in physically or mentally. Our private fight to get him back to normal life will soon start.”
WIFE OF US HOSTAGE KEITH SIEGEL PLEADS FOR HOLIDAY MIRACLE: ‘WE NEED TO GET THEM BACK’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, meets with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. (Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)
The breakthrough in long-stalled negotiations came after the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the weekend in Jerusalem. The two held a “tense” meeting, according to local media, with Witkoff having demanded significant concessions.
Trump warned on Monday that the failure to reach an agreement would have consequences.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there like they have never seen before,” he stated.
During Hamas’s terror invasion 467 days ago, the Bibas family, including mother Shiri, husband Yarden and their children, Ariel, 4, and 9-month-old baby Kfir, were taken by Hamas terrorists from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
Relatives and friends of people killed or abducted by Hamas and taken into Gaza react to the cease-fire announcement as they take part in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
“We hope they’ll come back alive and we can get them treated, to do the best for them to readjust. But we don’t know in what situation they will return. We are very afraid,” Jimmy Miller, Shiri Bibas’s cousin, told Fox News Digital.
“I hope for the best, but I don’t want to be disappointed if something bad happens. I try not to think about it too much before it really happens. We thought it would happen before. Saturday is Kfir’s [second] birthday. Maybe he can celebrate it with us even a few days later,” he added.
A woman holds a poster of Israeli hostage Omer Neutra during a memorial vigil held in New York City on Nov. 1, 2023, for the people killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters issued a statement, “We, the families of 98 hostages, welcome with overwhelming joy and relief the agreement to bring our loved ones home. We wish to express our profound gratitude to President-elect Trump, President Biden, both administrations, and the international mediators for making this possible. Since November 2023, we have been anxiously awaiting this moment, and now, after over 460 days of our family members being held in Hamas tunnels, we are closer than ever to reuniting with our loved ones.
“This is a significant step forward that brings us closer to seeing all hostages return – the living to rehabilitation, and the deceased for proper burial,” the statement continues. “However, deep anxiety and concerns accompany us regarding the possibility that the agreement might not be fully implemented, leaving hostages behind. We urgently call for swift arrangements to ensure all phases of the deal are carried out.”
“We will not rest until we see the last hostage back home.”
