US President Donald Trump tells Fox News “there could be a couple of dead in recent days” from the 20 hostages thought to still be alive in Gaza.
Over the past several months, Trump has repeatedly made public comments suggesting that fewer hostages than the official Israeli number are alive, leading to panic among hostage families who have not been updated on such developments.
For several weeks, Israel has insisted that the number of hostages it believes are alive remains at 20, though officials have acknowledged that there are grave concerns regarding one or two of them.
Hamas and other terror groups are also holding the bodies of 38 other hostages, though Trump incorrectly tells Fox News that the number is 34.
“I told Hamas, we want our hostages back. We have all the Americans back, but now I’m talking about hostages, mostly Israeli,” Trump says during an interview on Fox & Friends. Two of the bodies still held by Hamas are of American citizens Omer Neutra and Itay Chen.
Trump goes on to assert that the US will solve the situation in Gaza.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this