 "'Some of them are not around anymore': Trump says 'fewer than' 20 Israeli hostages are alive in Gaza")
US President Donald Trump has said that fewer than 20 Israeli hostages held in Gaza are still alive, renewing fears among the families of the captives.
His comments came during a press conference at the Oval Office, where he said, “So now they have 20, but the 20 is actually probably not 20 because a couple of them are not around any longer.”
Israel on Friday vowed to destroy Gaza City if Hamas does not release all the hostages and disarm. “Soon, the gates of hell will open upon the heads of Hamas’s murderers and rapists in Gaza - until they agree to Israel’s conditions for ending the war, primarily the release of all hostages and their disarmament,” Defence Minister Israel Katz said.
‘Extortion has to end’
While the US president has not provided any more details on the fate of the hostages, he said, “We’re doing everything we can to get the hostages out, it’s not easy. The situation has to end, it’s extortion and it has to end,” as he slammed Hamas.
When asked why Washington is supporting Israel’s cause to takeover Gaza City, despite hostage families opposition to the plan as it might kill their loved ones, Trump said, “Not all of them. And you have to understand, I’m the one who got all of the hostages out.”
Hostage families respond
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum has released a statement after Trump’s comment, saying, “Mr. President, there are 50 hostages. For us, each and every one of them is a world in itself.”
“If [Strategic Affairs Minister Ron] Dermer, who only talks to the Americans and doesn’t bother to talk to or meet with the families of the hostages, knows something different, he should have informed the families first,” it added.
Last week, people staged demonstrations across Israel urging an end to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the release of hostages as the military prepares for a new offensive in the Palestinian territory.
With inputs from agencies
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