US officials believe that as few as 50 of the 116 hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip are still alive, according to a new report.
The assessment, based in part on Israeli intelligence, indicated that 66 of the remaining hostages are now dead, mediators in the hostage talks and a US official told the Wall Street Journal.
Israel previously estimated that 41 remaining hostages were no longer alive, while Hamas has insisted that it does not know how many hostages are alive or dead.
“I think we should be extremely worried,” Hagai Levine, the head of the medical team for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told the outlet.
“It seems like every week more hostages are dying or getting in danger or very sick.”
Israel uses an expert committee of medical experts that reviews classified intelligence in order to determine the hostages’ status, the Journal reported.
