Israel says more than a third of Gaza hostages are dead

The Jerusalem Post reports: “Israel believes that more than a third of the remaining Gaza hostages are dead, a government tally showed on Tuesday, as the United States sought to advance their recovery under a proposal to wind down the war with Hamas.

Of about 250 people dragged into the Gaza Strip by Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists during the Oct. 7 cross-border massacres that sparked the war, scores were freed in a November truce, while others have been recovered – dead or alive – by Israeli troops.

The government tally said 120 remain in captivity, 43 of whom have been declared dead in absentia based on various sources of information, including intelligence tip-offs, CCTV or bystander videos and forensic analysis.

Hamas, which threatened at the outset of the war to execute hostages in reprisal for Israeli air strikes, has since alledged such attacks caused hostage deaths. Israel has not ruled that out in all cases, but said that some recovered hostage bodies showed signs of execution…”

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