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00:00 cross straight to Tel Aviv now on the programme. Our reporter Claire Packalat is there. She's
00:05 in Tel Aviv for us this afternoon. Claire, good to talk to you. I understand you've been
00:10 speaking to families of hostages today. What have you been hearing from them?
00:16 Well, here I am, Nadia, in an area that's been now called Hostages Plaza, and this is
00:25 just opposite the main military headquarters here in Tel Aviv. And it's a place where the
00:31 family members of those who were taken hostage by Hamas, they've come here to pray together,
00:37 to speak to each other, to grieve together. They've even set up a large Shabbat meal table
00:44 with 240 empty seats. Some child high chairs are among those seats as well, because we
00:49 know that children were taken hostage by Hamas too. And of course, that's been an opportunity
00:54 for us to speak to people, family members, who've told us it's been an absolute rollercoaster
01:00 these last few days with this possible deal being signed. They were hopeful that some
01:06 hostages, 50, they believe, mostly women and children, would be released by Hamas in exchange
01:13 for 150 Palestinian prisoners who are currently in Israeli jails. But then the deal being
01:19 postponed a day, people here telling me that they are optimistic. They have to be optimistic.
01:24 They have to be hopeful. But this has been a very up and down situation. It's important
01:30 to note as well that the pressure that the family members of hostages here in Israel
01:35 have been putting on the Israeli government has really shifted, really pushed up this
01:40 issue to the top of the agenda. The issue of bringing home the hostages has now become
01:46 politically really important to the Israeli government, to the Prime Minister Benjamin
01:50 Netanyahu. Bringing back these Israelis who are being held now in Gaza by Hamas has become
01:56 a big, big, big priority and a lot is at stake here.
02:00 And Claire, as you say, no truce means an agonising wait for the families of hostages
02:06 where you are. And it also means yet more suffering for the millions of people who are
02:11 trapped in Gaza.
02:13 Absolutely. We were speaking earlier today with a journalist in the south of Gaza who
02:19 we've spoken to a lot recently. And he told us that people, of course, were really happy
02:24 when they heard news of a temporary ceasefire. They felt perhaps they might just get a breather
02:29 from the bombings. And of course, we know, of course, the north of Gaza is now largely
02:34 in ruins. The Israeli army still operating there. So this temporary ceasefire is absolutely
02:39 not in place in Gaza. People there are still desperately in need of enough food, clean
02:45 water, medical supplies. And they were hoping that this temporary ceasefire, this was supposed
02:51 to be a good piece of news for them. And they are still waiting. So an agonising wait for
02:57 the families of the hostages. Also a wait for the families of Palestinian prisoners
03:01 who are hoping that their loved ones will be able to come home to. We know that that's
03:06 this ratio of one Israeli hostage to three Palestinian prisoners. So we're looking at
03:12 a swap of 50 hostages for 150 Palestinian prisoners. But of course, I was just speaking
03:18 to someone here, one of the people who have been helping, helping families come here and
03:24 sort of giving them a structure and a base here at the hostages plaza, as it's now known
03:28 here. And she told us, we won't be able to believe this until we see it. And we don't
03:34 know who is on that list, the 50 names on the list of Israeli hostages. And we know
03:39 that the government, she was telling us the government, the Israeli government will not
03:42 give false hope to families. And so until those hostages are in the hands of the Israeli
03:48 authorities, they will not tell the families that their loved ones are safe. They will
03:52 wait until those hostages are absolutely safe and sound before they tell any families so
03:57 as not to raise false hopes. All right, much riding on the next 24 hours
04:01 then. Thank you very much indeed, Claire Pakala for us in hostage square Tel Aviv.