Ashley Waxman Bakshi knows the Gaza ceasefire agreement is a bad deal for Israel, but she believes it could be the last chance she has of seeing her cousin Agam again.

For 15 months, the family of 20-year-old Agam Berger has been tormented by thoughts of her horrific abduction on Oct 7 2023, and what could have happened to her since.

“I’m taking a nice warm shower in my nice warm home. Then you stop and you think about it and you’re like, ‘I wonder when was the last time Agam showered’,” Ashley, 39, told The Telegraph.

“It can’t be that they’re not showering. You try to convince yourself that it’s not as bad as you think it is. Self-defence.”

Agam is set to be released at some point during the first stage of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, but Ashley and the family do not know exactly when or what condition she is in – or if she will be returned alive.