Arbel Yehoud is achingly close to freedom, but her face is a study of shadow and terror. Yehoud makes it into waiting vehicles, and then to Israel. The visuals out of Israel and Gaza during recent hostage-for-prisoner swaps were part of a choreographed battle of optics waged in parallel to the 16-month ground war between Israel and Hamas.

It is believed that at least two of the six American hostages still held in Gaza are alive — Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, who grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut, and Edan Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey. Four other Americans are believed to have been killed in captivity.

On Thursday, Hamas released three Israeli hostages as part of the ceasefire deal, along with the five Thai nationals. On Saturday, two Israelis - Ofer Kalderon, 53, and Yarden Bibas, 34 - were released, alongside American-Israeli Keith Siegel, 65.