Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining Gaza hostages are dead, a government tally showed on Tuesday, as the United States sought to advance their recovery under a proposal to wind down the war with Hamas.
Some officials have privately said that the number of dead could be higher © Mena Today
Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining Gaza hostages are dead, a government tally showed on Tuesday, as the United States sought to advance their recovery under a proposal to wind down the war with Hamas.
Of about 250 people dragged into the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led Palestinian gunmen during the Oct. 7 cross-border rampage that sparked the war, scores were freed in a November truce, while others have been recovered - dead or alive - by Israeli troops.
The government tally said 120 remain in captivity, 43 of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli officials based on various sources of information, including intelligence tip-offs, CCTV or bystander videos and forensic analysis.
Some officials have privately said that the number of dead could be higher.
Hamas, which threatened at the outset of the war to execute hostages in reprisal for Israeli air strikes, has since said such attacks caused hostage deaths. Israel has not ruled that out in all cases, but said that some recovered hostage bodies showed signs of execution.
On Monday, four more hostages were added to Israel's list of fatalities.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday went public with an Israeli proposal to wind down the war, under which some hostages would go free during a preliminary ceasefire.
But mediated efforts to clinch that deal have been bogged down as Israel insists on eventually resuming the campaign to destroy Hamas while the Palestinian Islamist group demands a guaranteed end to the war and withdrawal of all invasion forces.
Writing by Dan Williams
Egypt has thrown its full diplomatic weight behind the European Commission’s newly announced €1.6 billion multi-year support program for the Palestinian Authority (PA), calling it a clear affirmation of Europe’s commitment to Palestinian statehood and institutional resilience — explicitly excluding any role for Hamas in Gaza’s future.
Israel has proposed a 45-day truce in Gaza to allow hostage releases and potentially begin indirect talks to end the war, while Hamas, which has already rejected one of its conditions - that it lay down its arms, says it is studying the plan.
The U.S. military is set to consolidate its presence in Syria over the coming weeks and months, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Tuesday, in a move that could reduce the number of troops it has in the country by half.
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