The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have issued an urgent demand to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government for immediate transparency, following US President Donald Trump's shocking claim that only 21 hostages remain alive in Hamas captivity, contradicting official Israeli figures of 24 surviving captives.
Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Gal Hirsch published a statement Tuesday confirming that, according to information in Israel's possession, Hamas is holding 59 hostages, of whom 24 are alive. However, the fact that Trump told reporters that three hostages had recently died in captivity has created significant uncertainty and pressure among the families.
In a statement released this morning (Wednesday) by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, they wrote, "Following the US President's statement last night regarding the number of living hostages still being held captive – the number of living hostages known to the families, and shared with them by official sources, is 24. We demand once again from the Israeli government, if there is new information that has been hidden from us, transfer it to us immediately.
"The Forum again calls on the prime minister to stop the war until the return of the last hostage. This is the most urgent and important national mission."
Trump's statement
As mentioned, Trump spoke with reporters before the swearing-in ceremony of US Mideast Envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, and said, "They said that only 24 are living, and I now correct...I say 21 because as of today, it's 21. Three have died. So this, this is a terrible situation."
