The Israeli Defense Force has confirmed that 31 hostages held by Hamas have died.
According to CBN News, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that 31 hostages' families were informed by the military that their loved ones have passed away.
Moreover, the New York Times reported that additional 20 hostages were possibly killed, based on unconfirmed information by Israeli intelligence. Some of the deaths either took place during Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct.7, injuries during captivity, while others were killed by Hamas in Gaza.
So far, there have been discussions of releasing further hostages following the recent losses.
Qatar's prime minister said Hamas approves of a recent proposed deal, which would include a ceasefire and Palestinian prisoners being released.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Blinken, while a deal with the terror group is achievable, more work is needed to achieve it.
“There's been a response from the opposition from Hamas, but it seems to be a little over the top. We're not sure where it is,” President Joe Biden said.
On Wednesday, families of French Israeli hostages called for their release.
"We don't need people to hope for us. I have hope. We need help. To get citizen(s) free from the captivity of Hamas. Ohad is a French citizen and I ask from France to do all the effort to release him and everyone,” Ayla Yahalomi-Luzon, sister of French-Israeli hostage Ohad Yahalomi, said.
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz spoke on how there are two goals in the war.
“The return of the kidnapped is an integral part of the victory and does not replace our duty to remove the threat of Hamas. If we reach an outline (deal to release hostages), it will be a step on the way to victory,” he said on Wednesday.
He also shared that he will move from Tel Aviv to a small community next to the Gaza border as his way of supporting thousands of Israelis who lost their homes following the Oct. 7th massacre by Hamas.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
