With a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas tantalizingly close, families of hostages in the Gaza Strip are afraid to get their hopes up and agonizing over the unknown.

鈥淭hese days are horrible for us,鈥� Yafit Zailer said Wednesday, breaking down into sobs over the thought of her relatives 鈥� Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two small children, Ariel and Kfir 鈥� being released after 15 months of captivity.

鈥淚 want to know already if they鈥檙e coming back,鈥� Zailer said. 鈥淚 want to know already if they鈥檙e OK or not. I want to hold my cousin in my arms and celebrate the biggest celebration.鈥�

The United States, Egypt and Qatar have spent the past year trying to mediate an end to the war sparked by Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel and the release of dozens of hostages captured that day. Officials now say to announcing an agreement.

Even if a deal is reached, the torment experienced by families of the hostages and war-weary Palestinians in Gaza could be far from over.

Families of the hostages do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead, and many will have to wait for a subsequent phase of the agreement .

In war-ravaged Gaza, many displaced Palestinians do not know , thousands are still buried under rubble and . Vast areas appear uninhabitable, and .

If talks over the second 鈥� and more difficult 鈥� phase of the emerging ceasefire deal break down, the war could resume, bringing even more death, destruction and displacement to Gaza and an even longer wait for families of the hostages.

Do we plan for a funeral or a celebration?

Shiri and Yarden Bibas and their two red-haired sons, 5-year-old Ariel and Kfir 鈥� who will turn 2 on Saturday 鈥� were among the roughly 250 hostages dragged into Gaza in Hamas鈥� Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war, in which some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

Kfir, who was then 9 months old, . The infant with red hair and a toothless smile, who has been in captivity for almost two thirds of his life, has become a symbol across Israel for the helplessness and anger over the hostages鈥� plight.

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir were supposed to be released with other women and children during a ceasefire in November 2023, but it fell apart after a week. All four members of the family were on a list obtained by The Associated Press that named 33 hostages who could be released in the initial six-week phase of the draft agreement.

鈥淚 want to tell all the parties involved in the negotiations, it鈥檚 time to end this,鈥� Zailer said, tears streaming down her face. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time to bring home our people, it鈥檚 time to end this war.鈥�

Daniel Lifshitz鈥� 84-year-old grandfather, Oded, is being held captive in Gaza along with many of his friends. His grandmother was released shortly after the initial attack.

As he waits for news, Lifshitz scrolls through his phone looking for updates and reaches out to the hostage negotiators for positive signs. The less they respond, the more optimistic things look, he said of his experience with them. But even the announcement of a deal would provide only some relief.

鈥淎nother roller coaster is coming 鈥� is he alive or not? Should I prepare (for) a funeral or should I prepare (for) a celebration?鈥� said Lifshitz. It鈥檚 something his family doesn鈥檛 want to discuss.

Some 100 hostages remain captive inside Gaza, a mix of civilians and soldiers, as well as around a dozen foreign nationals from Thailand, Nepal and Tanzania. The military believes at least a third of the remaining hostages 鈥� and up to half of them 鈥� are dead.

The three-phased agreement would begin with the release of 33 women, children, older adults and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel. Soldiers and other male captives would be released in the second phase.

Herut Nimrodi鈥檚 son, Tamir, was abducted from his army base on Oct. 7. The now 20-year-old soldier won鈥檛 be included in the deal鈥檚 first phase, and she worries that if the ceasefire doesn鈥檛 hold, pressure to release the remaining hostages will decline because there will be fewer of them.

Hamas says it will not release the remaining hostages without an end to the war, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu has vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas鈥� military and governing abilities are destroyed.

If no agreement is reached on the second phase, the war could resume this spring.

鈥榃e have no strength left鈥�

For hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians living in squalid tent camps and fearing Israeli airstrikes, the end of the war cannot come soon enough. Previous breakdowns in the talks have been followed by .

鈥淭he best thing right now, immediately, without any delay, would be to stop everything and announce a truce,鈥� said Sulaiman Qasem, a coordinator with a medical charity in Gaza City. 鈥淟ast night the shelling and bombing here didn鈥檛 stop for a moment 鈥� It鈥檚 absolute madness.鈥�

The war has killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza鈥檚 Health Ministry. It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, but says women and children make up more than half the fatalities. Israel鈥檚 offensive has reduced large areas of the strip to rubble and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million, leaving many at risk of famine.

Rola Saqer鈥檚 daughter was born on the first day of the war, and nearly every day since has been a struggle to find safety, food and health care.

The family fled their apartment and was forced to live in a cramped tent with other relatives. Saqer said her daughter, Massa Zaqout, has difficulty walking and worries the lack of proper nutrients will affect her development.

The proposed ceasefire deal includes a surge of humanitarian aid, and would allow Palestinians to start returning to their homes, assuming they still exist.

鈥淲e have no strength left,篓 said Rami Abu Shera, who was displaced from his home in Khan Younis. 鈥淲e are waiting for there to be no blood, no killings, no wounded, no destruction, no displacement. It is enough,鈥� he said.

鈥斺赌�-

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

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Melanie Lidman, Sam Mednick And Wafaa Shurafa, The Associated Press