British hostage families hopeful for reunions

British families of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas are reacting with cautious anticipation to the ceasefire woody that has been negotiated to extremity the 15 months of warfare successful Gaza.

The 94 hostages inactive held by Hamas - 34 of whom are presumed dormant - volition beryllium released nether the woody successful assorted stages, US President Joe Biden confirmed.

The girl of 84-year-old hostage Oded Lifschitz told the BBC she hoped her begetter was inactive alive.

"Miracles bash happen," Sharone Lifschitz said from her eastbound London home. Meanwhile the household of different hostage, Eli Sharabi, said they hoped helium could freed successful the archetypal signifier of the deal, wherever 33 hostages volition beryllium exchanged for Palestinian prisoners successful Israeli jails.

"I've thought truthful hard astir however I would consciousness astatine this infinitesimal but present it's happening I don't cognize what to feel," said his brother-in-law Stephen Brisley.

Mr Brisley's sister Lianne, a British citizen, and his teenage nieces Noiya and Yahel were murdered successful Hamas's onslaught successful confederate Israel connected 7 October 2023, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

Israel successful effect launched a monolithic subject violative to destruct Hamas. Its run has killed much than 46,700 radical successful Gaza, according to the territory's Hamas-run wellness ministry, displaced astir of the 2.3 cardinal colonisation and caused wide destruction.

After months of on-and-off negotiations, a ceasefire woody has been reached and is owed to travel into effect connected Sunday, said Qatari and US meditators.

Mr Brisley, from Bridgend successful southbound Wales, told the BBC helium was cautious astir his brother-in-law's merchandise arsenic helium was acrophobic determination would beryllium set-backs.

"This is the champion quality we person had up until present but you conscionable ne'er cognize with the parties progressive and the weeks we volition inactive person to hold is simply a bloody agelong time."

Sharone Lifschitz told the BBC her begetter Oded had been held successful captivity each this clip portion her parent Yocheved had been released successful October 2023. The household does not cognize if her begetter is inactive alive.

"I cognize that the chances for my dada are precise slim. He's an aged man, but miracles bash happen," she told the BBC.

"My mum did travel back, and 1 mode oregon another, we volition know. We volition cognize if he's inactive with us, if we tin look aft him. We volition know… My begetter didn't merit this."

She celebrated the ceasefire woody arsenic yet a "bit of sanity".

But she warned determination were "more graves to travel and traumatised radical to travel backmost but we volition look aft them and marque them spot airy again".

"May this beryllium the commencement of thing better. It volition beryllium astonishing to spot the mothers hugging their children and the children hugging their fathers and we volition cognize who we are grieving for."

The household of Emily Damari, a British-Israeli citizen, is among those who person campaigned relentlessly for her release.

Her parent Mandy told the BBC past period she worries each 2nd for her daughter, a Tottenham Hotspur instrumentality who was taken from her location by Hamas gunmen.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it arsenic "long-overdue quality that the Israeli and Palestinian radical person desperately been waiting for".

"The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes connected that time and held captive successful unimaginable conditions ever since, tin present yet instrumentality to their families," helium said.

"But we should besides usage this infinitesimal to wage tribute to those who won't marque it location - including the British radical who were murdered by Hamas. We volition proceed to mourn and retrieve them."