United States President, Donald Trump, has expressed concern that some of the 20 hostages presumed alive in Gaza may have “recently died,” as Israel urges Palestinians in Gaza City to evacuate ahead of an intensified military assault.
“It’s 20 people but I think of the 20 there could be some that have recently died is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong,” Trump told reporters at the Oval Office on Friday.
“We know that at least 30 people are dead, and we are negotiating to get them out,” he added.
According to the Israeli government, 47 hostages taken by Hamas and allied groups on October 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, including 27 believed dead.
Trump did not disclose the source of his information regarding the potential recent deaths.
He noted that the administration is “in very deep negotiations with Hamas” to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages and cautioned about a “tough situation” ahead.
“When you get down to the final 10 or 20, you’re not gonna get them out unless you’re gonna do a lot and doing a lot means capitulation,” he said.
The Israeli military has not responded to CNN’s request for comment on Trump’s statements.
Trump has previously made similar remarks, suggesting in August that “probably” fewer than 20 hostages were still alive, sparking calls from families for clarification from the Israeli government.
In April, Sara Netanyahu, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was overheard indicating that fewer hostages were alive than official figures suggested, triggering outrage among families seeking answers.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, in a Saturday statement, did not comment directly on Trump’s latest remarks but expressed gratitude for his “making every effort to fulfill his promise to bring them home.”
Earlier on Friday, Hamas released a rare video showing two hostages above ground in Gaza City. One of the hostages warned that he and eight others would die if Israel pursued its plan to capture the city.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has criticized Israel’s assault, noting the risk to hostages is heightened due to a lack of precise information on their locations.
Calls for Evacuation Intensify
Israel has expanded its operations in recent weeks in Gaza City, aiming to defeat Hamas.
The military reports controlling 40% of the city. Palestinians have been urged to relocate south to the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.
“We are declaring the Mawasi area a humanitarian zone, where work will be carried out to provide better humanitarian service,” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X on Saturday morning.
“Seize the opportunity to move to the humanitarian zone early and join the thousands who have already moved there,” he added.
Social media footage shows leaflets dropped across Gaza City urging residents to move south.
A map shared by Adraee highlights humanitarian infrastructure in the south but shows no medical or food support in the north, including Gaza City.
Hamas, meanwhile, has repeatedly urged residents to stay, warning that the southern evacuation is dangerous.
“Every time people believed the ‘safe zones’ lie, it ended with bloody massacres,” the group said on Friday.
As of Wednesday, only 70,000 of Gaza City’s roughly one million residents had evacuated, according to a senior Israeli official, less than 10% of the population. Many residents, exhausted from repeated displacements, are determined to stay.
“I am staying in my home and will not be displaced again, until my last breath, even if it means death, because we are exhausted from displacement,” Abu Yasser Al-Khour, a 51-year-old father of six, told CNN.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has criticized the mass evacuation as “unfeasible and incomprehensible.”
“Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said.
Ceasefire Talks and Hostage Negotiations
Last month, Hamas reportedly agreed to a 60-day temporary ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Egypt, which included the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners.
The offer is based on a proposal from US special envoy Steve Witkoff presented in July in coordination with Israel.
Israel has yet to respond, insisting Hamas fully disarm. Hamas has not agreed to disarm but claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu is pursuing “endless war” by refusing the deal.
Trump warned that failure to reach a hostage agreement could lead to a “tough situation.”
“It’s going to be nasty, that’s my opinion, Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion,” Trump said. “They gotta let them out.”
When asked about Hamas’ remaining demands, Trump said the group is “asking for some things that are fine,” but added, “You have to remember October 7.”
“You know, people forget October 7 – it’s not an easy thing to forget, right? But people forget, or they maybe purposely forget October 7. So, you know, you have to put that into the equation very strongly.”
He also emphasized the hostages’ families’ urgent desire for their loved ones to return.
“They just want them back very badly, and everything that goes with it – so it’s very sad,” he said.
