The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza are trapped in limbo, two days before the second prisoner exchange of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, with many having relatives both on the list to be freed and those who aren't.

Among them is Silvia Cunio, an Argentine-Israeli from the Nir Oz kibbutz community. She has two sons in captivity, one of whom was taken along with his partner Arbel Yehud.

She is on the list -- but the Cunio brothers, David and Ariel, are not.

They are among the 91 hostages taken captive during Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack and still held in the Gaza Strip. Of that number, 34 are dead according to the Israeli military.

The ceasefire's 42-day first phase began on Sunday with the release of three women hostages. A total of 33 captives are to be exchanged during the initial phase in return for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Standing in front of the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Cunio demanded that the ceasefire deal........

© Al Monitor