Israeli sources reject President Donald Trump's assertion that only 21 hostages remain alive in Gaza, according to a senior Israeli official who confirmed that negotiations for the return of hostages are continuing under a complete media blackout. Israeli officials refuse to comment on reports about proposals and initiatives being discussed to facilitate successful negotiations for a deal but maintain that under maximum pressure and with Trump's arrival in the region, there is renewed hope for positive results.
Israeli authorities strongly dispute President Trump's statement that the number of living hostages stands at only 21, emphasizing that according to their intelligence, there are 21 confirmed living hostages and three additional captives whose status is "grave concern". This distinction explains why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carefully phrases his remarks to indicate there are "up to 24 living hostages." Until definitive information is received regarding those three hostages, they remain on Israel's official list of living hostages and appear as such on all documentation Israel has provided to mediating parties.
The families of hostages are fully aware of how Israeli authorities classify their captive relatives – whether they are alive with high certainty or if serious concerns exist for their lives. This established classification system is precisely why Israeli officials were taken aback by the American president's definitive statement suggesting certainty that the three are not among the living, which contradicts the information held by Israeli agencies responsible for tracking hostage status.
On the official lists Israel submitted to mediators, there are up to 24 living hostages that it demands to receive back as part of ongoing negotiations, as well as the remains of 35 deceased captives. Among the 24 living hostages, 22 are Israeli citizens and two are foreign nationals. This breakdown explains why in the the recent proposal Israel firmly insisted on receiving 11 living hostages in the first phase, with foreign nationals being returned without requiring Israeli concessions, following precedents established in previous hostage exchanges.
