In Israel, it is estimated that up to 50 of the abductees held by Hamas may not be alive, according to Egyptian sources who revealed details of the negotiation talks – this was published today (Tuesday) in the “Wall Street Journal”.
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As a reminder, earlier it was reported in the “New York Times” that Israeli intelligence officers estimate that at least 32 of the 136 captives kidnapped by Hamas have died since the beginning of the war.
Also according to the report, the families of the 32 abductees, whose names have been confirmed, have been notified, according to four military officials who spoke anonymously to discuss the sensitive matter. The sources said that the officers are also looking into unconfirmed intelligence that indicated that at least 20 other abductees may have also been killed.
A tunnel where hostages were kept in Khan Yunis (photo: IDF spokesman)
A tunnel in Khan Yunis where hostages were held (photo: IDF spokesman)
As you may recall, over 240 hostages were captured by Hamas during the organization’s murderous attack on October 7, when about half of the hostages were released, almost all of them during the temporary ceasefire in November.
The report comes against the background of the abductees deal that is currently taking shape with Hamas and which is subject to internal differences of opinion between the leaders of the terrorist organization, who are prevented from reaching an agreement on the proposal formulated at the summit in Paris. According to the reports, the dynamic in the organization has “turned around”, and the head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, has become “tired” after four months of war, and is ready to accept the proposal for an initial six-week ceasefire.
On the other hand, the organization’s leaders abroad, led by Haniyeh, demand more concessions and want to negotiate a permanent cease-fire that will bring the war to an end. Among their demands, they stipulate that “any cease-fire be based on a complete end to the fighting,” and reiterated the demand for the spending of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip.
The director of the returned missing abductees and their families in response to the report: “According to the official data that we have, there are 31 victims. Before the article was distributed, an orderly message was given to all the families of the abductees by the liaison officers that there is no change in the assessment situation.”