US President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Three more hostages have died in captivity, Trump claims, lowering number of surviving hostages from 24 to 21 – despite claims by Israel to the contrary.
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday evening that three more Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip have died in captivity, lowering the number believed to be alive.
The president fielded questions from reporters in the Oval Office, during which he said that of the 59 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip, all but 21 are dead.
“They said ‘59’, and I said, ‘Really’,” Trump said regarding the number of hostages in Gaza. “But they said ‘Only 24 are living’. And I now correct, I say ‘21’, because as of today, it is 21; three have died.”
“This is a terrible situation,” he added. “We are trying to get the hostages out. We got a lot of them out. As the expression goes, it is 21, plus a lot of dead bodies.”
Trump did not elaborate on how it was determined that three additional hostages have died in captivity, nor did he say how they died.
IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, who has been tapped by the government to coordinate efforts for the hostages’ return, issued a statement following Trump’s comments disputing the president’s figures.
“Currently, 59 hostages are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization. Twenty-four of them are listed as living hostages. Thirty-five of them are listed as deceased hostages, with their deaths having been officially confirmed.”
“Fifty-four of the hostages are Israeli citizens. Five of the hostages are foreign citizens. The Captives and Missing Persons Unit maintains continuous contact with all the hostages’ families, and we are available to them for updates, clarifications, and reviews through various means at all times. All the hostages’ families are always updated with the information we have regarding their loved ones.”
During the question and answer session, Trump also teased an upcoming announcement, slated for next week, calling it “a truly earth-shattering and positive development for this country and its people.”
In addition Trump ruled out a visit to Israel during next week’s visit to the Middle East.
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