U.S. President Donald Trump said overnight (Tuesday to Wednesday), in a conversation with reporters, that 21 hostages are alive in the Gaza Strip. “They said that only 24 are living, and I now correct… I say 21 because as of today, it’s 21. Three have died. So this, this is a terrible situation,” Trump stated.
His remarks followed an earlier report from Qatar, where an Egyptian source claimed that Cairo had received a new U.S. proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Trump also addressed the situation with Iran, saying, “It’s time to deal with the issue.” He emphasized, “I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon.”
On the matter of negotiations with Tehran, Trump remained vague but reaffirmed his clear stance: “If they want to be successful, that’s okay. I want them to be so successful. But—they will not have nuclear weapons. If they choose otherwise, it will be very sad.”
Regarding his planned visit to the Middle East next week, Trump said he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia but was not expected to visit Israel.
“I will visit Israel in the future,” he said, without committing to a specific date.
In the background of these statements, Trump surprised the international community earlier this week by announcing that the U.S. would halt its strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. He explained: “They surrendered and no longer want to fight.” However, he clarified: “There is no agreement, only their promise not to attack ships.”
Following Trump’s comments, the The Hostages and Missing Families Forum responded: “The number of living hostages known to the families, and communicated to them by official sources in the State of Israel, is 24. If there is new information—we demand to receive it immediately and without delay.”
Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, also stated that Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages—24 of them are confirmed alive, while 35 have been classified as fallen captives.
