At least 31 hostages held in captivity have been confirmed deceased, according to a statement Tuesday from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Directorate for the Return of Missing Abductees and Their Families at the Prime Minister’s Office told JewishPress.com, “According to the official data we have, there are 31 victims. Before the article was distributed, an orderly message was sent to all the families of the abductees by the liaison officers that there is no change in the situation assessment.”
The statement was issued in response to a report published earlier in the day by The New York Times, which said the families of 32 hostages held captive in Gaza since October 7, 2023 were notified that their loved ones are no longer alive. According Israeli officials quoted in the report, most of those who died were killed on October 7th.
Israeli officials are reportedly reviewing unconfirmed intelligence that another 20 hostages have been killed as well, of 132 hostages still held captive since October 7, plus two fallen IDF soldiers and two mentally-challenged Israeli adults who have been held hostage in Gaza since 2014. Israel has managed to free 110 hostages so far — and time is running out for those who remain, due to their various health issues, ages, injuries and the terrible conditions in which they are being held.
The Hamas-led terrorists who invaded southern Israel on October 7th tortured and slaughtered some 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and abducted 253 others, in addition to the thousands who were wounded. Twenty-two Israeli communities along the Gaza border were invaded, including many that were burned to the ground, in addition to several IDF military bases, in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust in World War II.
“The IDF is deploying all available resources to locate and retrieve as much information as possible regarding the hostages currently held by Hamas,” a spokesperson for the IDF told JewishPress.com. “IDF representatives keep the families of the hostages updated with any new information received.
“We notified all of the families of hostages that we received credible information indicating that their loved ones have been killed in captivity. The vast majority were murdered on October seventh,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson was unable to clarify whether “all of the families of hostages” was a reference to the families of the 32 captives who were confirmed deceased, or more.
“The IDF will continue to operate to the best of its ability to bring back the hostages. The IDF supports the families during these difficult and complex days, and will continue to update them with the information at its disposal,” the spokesperson added.
The Prime Minister’s Office said it was “checking” the report.
The Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah has yet to condemn the slaughter; several PA ministers have praised the attack and its perpetrators.
