Israeli officials say more than a third of Hamas hostages may have been killed, but some believe the number is higher

Israeli officials announced on Tuesday, June 4, that more than a third of the hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists are believed to be dead.

Israeli officials announced on Tuesday, June 4, that more than a third of the hostages who were abducted by Hamas terrorists are believed to be dead. As many as 120 people are being held by Hamas at present, and it is believed that at least 43 of them are dead. The Israeli government released the latest count, saying many of the hostages may have been executed after being kidnapped from Israel during the October 7 attack.

Israeli officials say more than a third of Hamas hostages are believed to have been killed, but some believe the number is higher (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) (AP)

However, some officials said they are afraid the real number of deaths could be higher than that, according to the Jerusalem Post. Hamas snatched about 250 hostages from Israel on October 7. Some were freed during a ceasefire deal in November.

However, even after several rounds of negotiations, hopes for another exchange seem to have reached a dead-end. Hamas has maintained that the hostages were killed by Israel’s own attack on Gaza, but according to Israeli officials, it is clear that they were executed while being held captive.

Hamas hostages who were recently found dead, including Shani Louk’s partner

Four more hostages were reported dead on Monday, June 3, including 84-year-old Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Perry, both 80, and 51-year-old Nadav Popplewell. It is believed that they were all killed while being held captive in Gaza.

Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to bring all the hostages home and eliminate Hamas, little progress has been made. Netanyahu is now facing pressure to resign as president. The US has even threatened to scale back its support over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.