US President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that the number of living hostages in Gaza has dropped from 24 to 21, but Israel’s hostage point man asserted shortly thereafter that Jerusalem’s official figure remains at 24.
“As of today, it’s 21 [who are still alive]. Three have died,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, without providing additional details.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara said in front of reporters that the number was less than 24. The comments infuriated hostage families who had not been updated on the matter. Trump went on to echo that revelation two days later, also saying that fewer than 24 hostages were still alive in Gaza, but he didn’t give a specific figure at the time, like he did on Tuesday.
Shortly after Trump’s comments, though, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hostage point man Gal Hirsch tweeted that Israel’s official list of living hostages still has 24 names.
A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel that the discrepancy could be due to the fact that Israel might have intelligence indicating that certain hostages are no longer alive or that Israel has yet to obtain a sign of life from certain hostages since their kidnapping. However, those hostages are still officially considered to be living until their deaths can be definitively confirmed.
Hirsch tweeted that Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages — 24 of whom are on Israel’s list of living hostages and 35 of whom are on its list of hostages whose deaths have been officially confirmed.
Of the 59 hostages, five are foreign nationals, Hirsch added.
Amid anger from hostage families over learning about such developments in the media, Hirsch insisted that his office maintains regular contact with hostage families and is always available for updates and clarifications.
Trump helped secure the release of 33 hostages, including two Americans, through a hostage deal that was inked the day before he entered office in January. But that deal fell apart after its first phase, with Israel resuming the war on March 18 after Hamas refused its demands to rework the terms of the agreement.
Talks have been at an impasse for the past two months, with Israel only willing to agree to an interim deal that releases some of the hostages in exchange for another temporary ceasefire that allows it to resume fighting, while Hamas has said it is prepared to release all remaining 59 hostages at once in order to bring about a permanent end to the war.
Netanyahu has refused this exchange, arguing that it would leave Hamas in power. In doing so, though, he appears to be breaking with the majority of Israelis, whom successive polls have shown support ending the war in exchange for the release of all the hostages.
On Sunday, the security cabinet approved a major expansion of its military operation in Gaza, which is aimed at re-occupying the entire Strip and holding onto the territory indefinitely in order to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages.
However, it is waiting until after Trump’s May 13 through 16 trip to the region before launching the operation, leaving open the possibility for a deal in the coming week and a half.
Trump’s Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff told the Axios news site on Monday, “I hope we make progress. I hope we get everyone out. I talk to Qatar, Egypt, and Israel almost every day. President Trump wants to get the hostages. Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to get the hostages. We are working in a concerted way.”