TEL AVIV—The release of dozens of hostages by Hamas in recent days under a fragile cease-fire deal has brought a measure of relief to Israelis who have spent the last seven weeks agonizing over the fate of the more than 200 people taken from Israel.
It has brought joyful reunions for families torn apart by the Oct. 7 attacks, but the homecomings have also been mixed with anguish, as scores of Israelis remain in captivity. The releases have left many families separated, with fathers and husbands still in Gaza. With each wave of hostages released, calls to bring the rest home grow louder.
But Israel faces a dilemma over how long it allows the pause in fighting to continue. The longer it goes on the more international pressure could build on Israel for a permanent truce to prevent further civilian casualties in Gaza. Each day of the pause also gives Hamas time to strengthen its military position, Israeli officials and security analysts said, potentially undermining Israel’s goal of eliminating the group.
“Everyone released is a good feeling, but on the other hand it is painful that yours isn’t one of them," said Ofir Baraslavsky, who was standing among tens of thousands on Saturday night in what’s been dubbed “hostages plaza." He held a placard with an image of his 19-year-old son, Rom, who was taken hostage at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
“If we are already making a deal, then we should make one final deal for all of them. We want all of them released," said Baraslavsky.
Qatari and Egyptian leaders are now leading talks to extend the four-day pause in fighting beyond Monday in an effort to secure the release of more hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and bring further relief to Palestinians in shattered Gaza. The central issue to resolve, Egyptian officials said, was providing a list of hostages Hamas would release in subsequent days.
On Sunday, President Biden said the U.S. was pressing to extend the current cease-fire beyond four days. Hamas has released at least one American so far under the cease-fire deal—4-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks. Of the eventual return of the remaining Americans, Biden said he was “hopeful, but I don’t have anything firmly to tell you at this moment."
Negotiating each release has already proven to be a high-wire act. On Saturday, Hamas delayed its handover of hostages for hours, demanding that more aid be delivered to Gaza. For Hamas, every concession—and every extension—could be essential to ensuring its survival. The exchanges have also led to the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners, potentially boosting support for the group.
Israel has vowed to resume its military campaign to destroy Hamas. “We are going until the end—until victory. Nothing will stop us," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a visit to soldiers inside Gaza on Sunday.
As a part of the initial deal, Hamas committed to releasing 50 hostages, in exchange for a cease-fire and the release of three Palestinian prisoners for every hostage freed. Before the releases, Hamas and other groups in Gaza were holding up to 100 civilians who are women and children, Israeli officials said.
Israel agreed, as a part of that deal, to pause fighting for further days in exchange for the release of additional batches of 10 women and children. That means Hamas can draw out the cease-fire for up to nine days, under the current agreement.
The agreement was hotly debated in Israel over fears that it could harm the country’s goal of completely destroying Hamas by giving the group an opportunity to strengthen its military position and push for a permanent cease-fire.
Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser, said that while Israel expects Hamas to try to maximize the current pause in fighting, neither the government nor the Israeli public will be deterred from restarting the battle. “I don’t see in Israel one serious voice saying after 10 days, we should stop and not continue the war," said Amidror.
Within Israel, the families and their supporters have become a powerful political force, as the mass gathering on Saturday night demonstrated. Calls for the return of all the hostages, including men, are growing stronger.
“Who decided that men are at the bottom of the list for release?" said Shoval Gal, whose boyfriend, Ofir Tzarfati, was taken hostage at the Nova music festival, as she addressed the rally on Saturday.
Nimrod Novik, a former senior adviser to late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, said Israel may face another fork in the road over whether to free men too if it is able to extend the current deal to the full nine days. But, ultimately, he said Israel will have no choice but to return to fighting.
“The entire population of southern Israel is displaced and can’t go back until this mission is accomplished," said Novik. “No government will be able to face the public and say sorry we were forced to stop."
Each day since the deal was agreed, relatives anxiously wait to learn whether their loved ones are on a list of hostages drawn up by Hamas for release the next day. The logic behind the order isn’t clear, but so far, hostages have largely been released with other members of their community, suggesting they were held together.
At the plaza on Saturday, Amon Raviv, 65, had seen the names of a former classmate’s two grandchildren on an unofficial list circulating ahead of the release. Raviv said the cease-fire should be extended, even if it played to Hamas’s advantage.
“It will give them more time but it’s a price we’re willing to pay to get them back," said Raviv, holding posters of Yahel and Naveh Shoham. “The government should pay the price to save them all."
Hours later, the Shoham siblings—ages 3 and 8—crossed into Israel along with their mother in the second group of hostages released. Their father was left behind.
Hila Rotem Shoshani, 13, was also released on Saturday but her mother Raaya Rotem, remained in Gaza.
Most of the Israelis released on Sunday were from the Kfar Aza kibbutz. Members of the community gathered at a hotel outside of Tel Aviv where they were evacuated after the attack, and watched the release of the hostages on a large screen. They cheered and clapped as they recognized their friends and neighbors in the Red Cross ambulances driving in a convoy out of Gaza.
“The healing process for our community will only start when all the kidnapped people return," said Maor Moravia, a member of the kibbutz.
Keren Scharf Schem, who is waiting for the release of her 21-year-old daughter, Mia, said on Sunday that she is worried that her daughter’s pre-existing health issues may put her life at serious risk. The last sign Schem received that her daughter was alive was a video released by Hamas on Oct. 16, after she had undergone surgery in Gaza for injuries sustained in the attack.
She is now waiting to see if her daughter makes Monday’s list. It is like “playing Russian roulette," she said.
Chao Deng, Summer Said and Ari Flanzraich contributed to this article.
Write to Isabel Coles at isabel.coles@wsj.com and Dov Lieber at dov.lieber@wsj.com
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