Mother says no more than 30-35 hostages still alive, day after Netanyahu put the number at about 50

Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, contradicts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported assessment yesterday that some 50 of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are still alive, telling Army Radio that the number is actually 30-35 at most.

“The prime minister is lying,” Zangauker says. “We know, the families, that the number is far smaller than the number cited by the prime minister.”

She says all the families receive information on the status of their loved ones, including signs of life. On the basis of that information, she says, “in my opinion, there are no more than 30 to 35 hostages” still alive.

What’s at stake, she says, “is not redeeming hostages; it is truly saving lives.”

She says she does not anticipate a possible deal for the next three to four months, citing both the escalation of hostilities in the north and the approaching US elections. “There are no [substantive] contacts between the Israeli [negotiating] team and the mediators,” and “Hamas is not involved in any stage” of the efforts at present. “That’s the reality.” Zangauker says the US mediators, who have been trying hard to finalize a deal, have largely “given up” on their efforts at present.

She accuses Netanyahu — “who through his decisions is murdering my Matan” — of putting his political future ahead of the future of the hostages. There was a clear opportunity for a deal several months ago, she says, but “he chose escalation.”