A Wall Street Journal report , says that , U. S. and Israeli officials fear that most of the Jewish hostages held by Hamas since October 7 are dying, despite , talks to secure a prisoner transfer offer and a temporary ceasefire occurring in Cairo.
While the IDF has confirmed the captives ‘ incidents of 34 of the 129 who were still captives and were abducted by Hamas on October 7, according to the report , which stated that” Israeli and American officers estimate personally that the death toll could be much higher”
According to US authorities quoted in the statement, some captives may have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in the course of the conflict, while others have died from health problems, including injuries sustained during their violence.
American officials with knowledge of the knowledge told the report that some US estimates indicate that the majority of the hostages are now dead, while highlighting that US details on the hostages is limited and heavily depends on Israeli intelligence.
Authorities believe victims who are still dead are being used as human weapons surrounding the team’s management, hidden deep in Gaza caverns, the statement said.
Hamas has indicated , recently that it is unable to deliver 40 living victims in the class set for first discharge under a possible hostage offer — women, children, the elderly, or those requiring medical attention.
According to the Times of Israel , which has gathered the following press reports, the release of other hostages, including adult men and captured soldiers, falls under a different category.
Israel has insisted that 40 hostages who are still alive must be freed in any first phase, and that Hamas must make up for any incompatibilities with people from other categories.
According to Channel 12 news, Mossad chief David Barnea, Israel’s top official involved the negotiations, told cabinet ministers on Wednesday that freeing all 133 captives and remains held in Gaza in a single truce agreement would be impossible, and that at best 40 people could be freed in a first phase.
Of the 253 hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 attacks, in which terrorists slaughtered some 1, 200 people, 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released prior to that. The bodies of 12 hostages, including three who were mistakenly killed by the military, have also been recovered, including the three who have been held hostage by alive troops.
Since October 7, one more person has been missing, and their whereabouts are still undetermined. Hassan has also been storing the bodies of two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who have been believed to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015, respectively. These two are also believed to be alive.
