Relief in Israel as Newly Released Hostages Appear to Be in Better Shape

On this sun-drenched morning there appeared to be fewer people gathered in Hostages Square than on previous release days. Naama Moses, a volunteer selling merchandise to support the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of the captives, ascribed this to the pain that many felt when they saw the three men who were freed last week.

“Perhaps containing your disappointment would be easier at home in front of the telly, on your own,” Ms. Moses said.

Dr. Hagai Levine, the head of the medical team for the hostage families group, said that while the men released Saturday were talking and walking on their own, it was evident from the video of their release that they needed medical care. “Now they will have to be examined very carefully,” he said.

Dr. Levine said those released recently had shared “dreadful testimonies” about the status of hostages who remain in Gaza. “Being in captivity for nearly 500 days means severe damage to their health,” he said. “They don’t have time, they may not survive the next weeks.”

The specter of the cease-fire negotiations breaking down alarmed families whose loved ones were not set to be released during the cease-fire agreement’s current phase, which ends early next month.

“There’s concern,” said Mr. Zexer, whose family hosted the Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander during his military service in Israel. “We are living in a reality show that even the devil couldn’t have conceived.”

Describing the tension and uncertainty between each week’s release, Mr. Zexer said that “the hostages are paying the price.”

Viki Cohen, the mother of an Israeli soldier still held captive in Gaza, said in an interview that the joy of seeing three more hostages released was tempered by anguish and uncertainty.

“We are on a crazy roller coaster,” said Ms. Cohen, who recently received evidence that her son Nimrod was still alive. He is not among the hostages expected to be released in the first phase of the cease-fire. “We are doing everything in our power for him to return,” she said.

Even after the Red Cross drove away with the newly released men, heading toward Israel, the crowd at Hostages Square remained, hoisting pictures of people still in captivity in a subdued celebration of solidarity.

“It’s overwhelming to be here, the warmth and the love,” said Jennifer Brandeis, who was visiting Tel Aviv from Virginia. “Being together — it’s everything to me.”