Number has been used in hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas
DUBAI—As many as 50 of the hostages taken from Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 could be dead, a figure that is considerably higher than the 29 deaths Israel has publicly acknowledged, according to an Israeli assessment shared with U.S. and Egyptian officials.
The estimate was presented by Israel during hostage negotiations in Cairo in recent weeks, according to Egyptian officials, and has played a key role in negotiations for the release of hostages—alive and dead—still being held in Gaza.
If the latest Israeli estimate is correct, it would mean that around 80 of the 132 hostages believed held by Hamas or other militant groups are still alive and that militants are keeping dozens of bodies of people they kidnapped. None of the dead have been returned so far.
Hamas militants and others from Gaza seized more than 240 hostages during their Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel, which included terrorist attacks on a music festival and agricultural communities and left 1,200 people dead, according to authorities.