More than a third of the hostages still held by Hamas are believed to be dead, Israeli officials announced on Tuesday.
At least 43 of the 120 people still held by Hamas are believed dead, according to the latest count released by the Israeli government, with indicators showing many have been executed by terrorists since they were snatched from Israel on Oct. 7.
But some officials have privately been expressing fears that the true count of the dead could be even higher than what their most current intelligence has indicated, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The latest tally is based on footage that has emerged from Gaza, intelligence sources, analysis done by Israeli troops as they pass through more of the war-torn territory, and even forensic work still underway at the kibbutzes Hamas massacred on Oct. 7.
About 250 hostages were taken from Israel by Hamas, and while some were freed during a ceasefire deal in November hopes for another exchange have been repeatedly dashed amidst various rounds of dead-ended negotiations.
On Monday, four more hostages were added to the death toll — 84-year-old Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Perry, both 80, and 51-year-old Nadav Popplewell — all of whom are believed to have been killed while they were held in captivity in Gaza.
At least 43 of the 120 hostages still held by Hamas are believed to be dead, according to a count from Israeli officials REUTERSThough Hamas has insisted hostage deaths since October 7 have been caused by Israel’s own shelling of Gaza, Israeli officials say some recovered bodies indicate they were in fact executed while in captivity.
On Saturday, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu called the latest peace plan proposed by President Biden a “non-starter,” insisting Israel would not support any plan that does not include both the freeing of all hostages and the total destruction of Hamas.
“The notion that Israel will agree to a permanent ceasefire before these conditions are fulfilled is a non-starter.”
Biden on Friday proposed a plan that would see hostages and prisoners swapped during a six-week ceasefire, armistice negotiations, and Israel withdrawing from Gaza and working towards a reconstruction of the strip.
