Thirty-two of the 136 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are dead, according to reporting by the New York Times.
The grim news comes after relatives of the families were notified by the IDF. It is believed that 136 Israelis and other nationals, including 10 Americans, were being held.
It is not known how the IDF determined the deaths but has announced in recent days it obtained a trove of Hamas communications and documents. Hamas has remained silent on the announcement after earlier announcing other deaths.
The IDF is attempting to confirm that an additional 20 hostages were also killed.
One-year-old Kfir Bibas is the youngest hostage are the youngest hostages. They and their mother were abducted from their home Oct. 7 and Hamas claimed they died in captivity but many held hope they had not been murdered. The IDF nor the Bibas family have announced if they were on the list.
Kfir Bibas, now 1, his brother Ariel and mom Shiri were abducted Oct. 7. Hamas says they are dead.
Families of the hostages continue to pressure the Israeli government for immediate action that will result in the release of the remaining hostages. The emergency coalition, which brought together Israel’s many opposition parties under a unity government, continues to say that it’s ultimate goal is to destroy Hamas while freeing the hostages at the same time.
READ: This is how a grandmother escaped Hamas on Oct. 7
The war enters its fifth month on Thursday after Gaza terrorists and Palestinian residents invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 citizens, including more than 360 at a youth festival.
The New York Times reported that the IDF stated it was “deploying all available resources to locate and retrieve as much information as possible regarding the hostages currently held by Hamas.”
The news comes as Hamas on Wednesday made what Benjamin Netanyahu described as “insane demands.”
Hamas is seeking a four-month cease fire, that Israel says the terrorist organization will only use to regroup and rearm after a majority of its armed fighters have been killed.
“We are on our way to absolute victory,” he declared. “Victory is now within reach. It’s not a matter of years or decades, but a matter of months.
“The IDF is working miracles and working methodically to achieve all the goals that we set,” said Netanyahu.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice