Gaza war: Half of hostages held by Hamas since Oct 7 have died, PM Netanyahu tells MPs
Posters with pictures of hostages, who were kidnapped during the deadly October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly told lawmakers in a closed meeting that half of the 97 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7 have died.
“According to the information we have, half of the hostages in Gaza are alive,” he was quoted as saying by Army Radio.
Netanyahu held a meeting with the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee earlier on Sunday (Sep 22), in which he stressed he was not standing in the way of a hostage deal and instead blamed Hamas for demanding numerous revisions to the proposed ceasefire outline.
Netanyahu's statement comes at a time when families of hostages are increasingly accusing the Israeli PM of abandoning the captives under the pretext of tackling the threat in Lebanon.
“Netanyahu does not have the authority to abandon the captives under the guise of launching a war in the north,” the families said during a press conference held near the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The families also accused Netanyahu of “disregarding the lives of their relatives held in Gaza and choosing instead to escalate tensions on multiple fronts.”
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Protesters have urged President Isaac Herzog to intervene and force Netanyahu government to start negotiations with Hamas.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated following an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 38 people in Beirut’s southern suburb on Friday.
Earlier, former IDF chief Dan Halutz had also criticised Netanyahu for 'sacrificed the remaining hostages'.
"Look at what’s happening in our wonderful country, see what amazing people we have, and compare that to the leadership," Halutz told Ynet following the incident. "We were at two protest sites in Caesarea, protesting there with demonstrators and many local residents. Netanyahu has made a decision - to continue sacrificing the hostages, and we are not going to let him off the hook," he told reporters.
(With inputs from agencies)