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For the Israeli families who have waited 2 years for the hostages, these are their rituals
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People cleaning pictures and memorials of Israeli victims of the Oct 7, 2023, attack at the fountain of Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv on Oct 5, 2025.
PHOTO: EPA
Sarah Wildman
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JERUSALEM - For some 50 families, the announcement of a possible US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas marks not only the possible end to a long and brutal war, but also the tantalising prospect of an end to over 700 days of waiting for their loved ones who were among those kidnapped into Gaza during the assault on Oct 7, 2023.
Of the more than 250 adults and children who were taken, 148 hostages have come back alive; 57 more were returned only for burial.
