US President Donald Trump has said that some of the 20 Jewish hostages believed to be alive under the control of Hamas, the governing group in Gaza, Palestine, are now believed to be dead. Trump made these comments as Israelis are warning about a million residents in Gaza City, the largest city in Gaza, to evacuate the area. Hamas took 251 Israelis as hostages in a jihadi attack on October 7, 2023, in response to Israel’s aggressive attacks. Under a previous agreement between Hamas and Israel, Hamas has released many hostages. Israel now believes that 47 hostages are still under Hamas control, of which 27 are believed to be dead. Hamas said that many hostages under their control have died due to the continuous terrorist attacks by Israeli forces on Gaza.
Speaking to journalists, Trump said that out of the 47 hostages believed to be under Hamas control, about 30 are believed to be dead, and he has heard that some of the remaining have died in recent days. He added that he hopes this information is not correct. Trump did not reveal the source of this information. He said that the country is extensively negotiating with Hamas to free the Israeli hostages. Trump also mentioned that the situation ahead is difficult. With only a few hostages remaining, he said it’s likely that many concessions will need to be made to secure their release.
Trump made similar comments last August. At that time, he said the number of living hostages under Hamas control was believed to be less than 20. In April, Sara, the wife of Zionist Israel’s terrorist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was also heard saying that the actual number of living hostages is less than what the Israeli government claims. Trump’s comments about hostages being dead come as Hamas released a video showing two hostages being driven through the streets of Gaza City. In the video, one of the hostages says that he and eight other hostages in Gaza City will die if Israel doesn’t stop its attacks on Gaza City.
It is believed that as part of the effort to bring all of Gaza under Israeli control, more than 40% of Gaza City is now under Israeli control. The Israeli military has said that they will further intensify their attacks on Gaza City in the coming days to achieve this goal.
