The families’ desperation is growing amid fears that as few as 50 Israeli hostages are still alive in Gaza, according to U.S. officials’ estimates.
Of the 250 hostages taken in the bloody invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 116 remain captive, the Washington Post reports.
Now, mediators in the hostage talks and a member of US intelligence have reportedly told the newspaper that the number of people still alive could be less than half that figure.
Israel has not confirmed the figures, which would mean that 66 of those still hostage could be dead, 25 more than the government has publicly acknowledged.
Distraught relatives of those remaining in Gaza say they cannot wait any longer and are calling for their loved ones to be released immediately before it is too late.
Distraught families are calling on the government to reach a hostage deal and return their loved ones home.
People hold up banners and portraits of Israelis taken hostage by Palestinian militants in Gaza, during an anti-government demonstration in front of the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem calling for early elections on June 17, 2024.
Many, including Gili Roman, whose sister was freed but her relative Carmel Gat remains among the remaining hostages, said families fear the phone calls.
“It’s about who will get a phone call saying that a family member’s body has been found or that they have been pronounced dead,” he said.
An IDF operation brought home four hostages in June, including Noa Argamani, 26, who was kidnapped at the Nova festival on October 7.
Tragically, many captives have not escaped alive, with the The bodies of 19 hostages have returned to Israel, eight of them in the last three months.
Israel has determined that another 41 hostages are dead in Gaza and families are demanding that their bodies be found and repatriated.
A statement from the Hostage Families Forum, in response to several reports from US intelligence sources: ‘All hostages must be released immediately.
‘There should be no differentiation between bringing live hostages for rehabilitation and bringing back those who were killed for proper burial.
‘The international community must take action to ensure the safe return of the 120 hostages and support the proposed agreement. Time is of the essence and we cannot let this critical moment pass.”
A screen shows an image of Noa Argamani, who was kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7 attack and has since returned home.
Neither the IDF, the Israeli government nor the Israeli intelligence service Shinbet have commented on the report or confirmed the figures.
Hamas has told mediators that it does not know how many of the hostages are still alive and says some are being held by other groups in Gaza.
Israel’s ground and air campaign was triggered when Hamas-led militants swept into southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli counts.
The offensive left Gaza in ruins, killing more than 37,400 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and leaving almost the entire population homeless and destitute.
A military vehicle maneuvers near the border between Israel and Gaza, amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as seen from Israel, on June 20, 2024.
Since a week-long truce in November, repeated attempts to arrange a ceasefire have failed, with Hamas insisting on an end to the war and Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza.
Ceasefire talks between both parties, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, have been stalled for many weeks.
An agreement, as in previous agreements, would include the exchange of hostages with Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Israel was initially unwilling to accept dead bodies in the deal, but its latest proposal to Hamas says it would accept the return of deceased hostages to meet the numbers.
Israel has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed, while the group has said a path to ending the war is one of its demands in the talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will only accept temporary pauses and will not end the war until Hamas is eradicated and the hostages are freed.
