President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that three of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are now believed to have died, reducing the number of presumed living captives to 21.
“As of today, it’s 21—three have died,” Trump said, referring to the hostages. He noted that the number previously believed to be alive had been 24. Trump did not provide details about the identities of the deceased or how he obtained the information. “There’s 21, plus a lot of dead bodies,” he added.
The Prisoners of War and Missing Persons Task Force, led by Gal Hirsch, issued a statement Wednesday morning clarifying that the number of living hostages held by Hamas remains at 24.
“The Hamas terrorist organization is currently holding 59 hostages. Of these, 24 are listed as living, and 35 have been officially declared dead,” the statement read. “All families of the hostages are consistently updated with any information we have about their loved ones.”
In response, some families of the hostages issued a joint statement: “We once again demand from the Israeli government—if there is new information that has been kept from us, it must be shared with us immediately.”
At the torch lighting ceremony ahead of Independence Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that “up to 24 hostages remain alive.” Moments later, his wife, Sara, was heard whispering, “Less,” prompting the Prime Minister to clarify, “I said up to 24.”
