Arab governments emphasized this week that a main cause of instability in the region — the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict — must be resolved.

The families of hostages held in Gaza have faced a 20-month-long nightmare. As they try to advocate for their loved ones’ fates, they have been confronted with the whims of Israeli and Hamas leaders and the other crises that have engulfed the Middle East.

Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on, and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian enclave. But the war between Israel and Iran, and the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted 12 days of fighting,