Israel and Hamas negotiators have agreed to a deal that would pause fighting in Gaza and would lead to the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
Implementation of the temporary ceasefire will start on Sunday.
Families of hostages held in Gaza released a statement following the news of the deal:
"We have been waiting for 467 days while our family members suffer from life-threatening injuries, abuse, torture and sexual violence. We thank President Biden, President-elect Trump and their teams for their constructive efforts to make this possible."
Scripps News spoke with Andrea Weinstein, the sister of Judi Weinstein Haggai, whose remains are still held hostage in Gaza.
Judi Weinstein Haggai and her husband Gad Haggai were killed by Hamas during its invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Officials confirmed their deaths in December of that year.
"It's hard to really express the emotion," Weinstein said about the news of a hostage deal. "We continue to have a lot of sadness, and this just continues on. I don't want to say relief yet. But real gratitude that this is finally going to happen. We can't urge enough that this has to happen. We have to get over the finish line."
"We're not quite at the relief point. When everyone comes home and the fighting stops, that will be huge relief. But we are really grateful for the fact that we are here now, today, and that's the only place we can be."
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"I think that this can happen," Weinstein said of the deal. "I need to believe that this can happen. We all need to believe this can happen so that healing can begin — both in Israel and for all of those of us who lost loved ones or have loved ones who have a very long road of healing ahead of them — and for those who suffered in Gaza."
Watch the full interview with Weinstein in the video above.
