A mother's anguish: One son to be freed from Gaza, another left behind

KFAR SAVA, Israel, Jan 16 (Reuters) - News that Israel and Hamas have reached a hostage release deal after 15 months of war in Gaza is bittersweet for Ruth Strum -- one of her sons is expected to be freed, but a second will be left behind in captivity for now.

"It is not easy for a mother to hear this," Strum told Reuters, wearing a red t-shirt emblazoned with photos of her two burly sons and the plea: "Bring Iair and Eitan home".

Although she has no information on their whereabouts in the heavily bombarded Gaza Strip, Strum said she was sure they had been kept together.

"But what will happen at the moment when they will be separated and told that one is coming out and one is not?" she said, her voice quivering. "I know that their strength is to be together, to be there for each other."

Eitan Horn, 38, was staying with his brother Iair Horn, 46, at his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza fence, when Hamas launched its surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The two men were seized and dragged into the Palestinian enclave along with 249 other Israelis and foreigners, triggering a war that has devastated Gaza.

Some 98 hostages are still in captivity, but under the terms of Wednesday's ceasefire, only 33 will be r...
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