With the faces of their loved ones not seen in 15 months, Israeli families awaiting Sunday’s first hostage release are hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas had agreed upon a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of some of the Israeli hostages held by the terror group since October 7,2023. Notably, the first stage of the deal will see Hamas return 33 hostages to Israel – but it’s unclear how many of those captives are still alive.

 A report from Walla noted that some of the families of the hostages will be “surprised” to discover that their loved ones were murdered.

“According to what we understand, dozens of abductees will return as corpses. Alongside the great joy of families who will celebrate with their loved ones after returning from captivity alive, there will be families shattered by this, and we will provide them with the necessary help,” Israeli officials tell the Hebrew-news outlet.

The officials stressed that being able to give their loved ones a proper burial in Israel would provide much-needed closure to the families of slain hostages

“This is our mission, and we will do our duty to the families. We should expect to see difficult scenes with coffins returned to Israel. It is going to be difficult, but just as we managed on October 7, we will do everything in the most sensitive way and give each kidnapped person the respect they deserve with a dignified burial.”