Israel believes half of hostages alive, considering siege on north Gaza

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told lawmakers that only half of the remaining 97 hostages abducted on October 7 are alive. His statements would indicate that around 50 hostages could be dead. The IDF has only confirmed the deaths of 33 of those still in Gaza.

Netanyahu made the comments to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, during a session where he said he was considering a plan to lay siege to northern Gaza.

The plan, which is not backed by the United States, is being promoted by former national security adviser and ex-IDF operations chief retired Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland who told the committee it would “change the reality” on the ground in Gaza.

“We have to tell the residents of north Gaza that they have one week to evacuate the territory, which then becomes a military zone, [a zone] in which every figure is a target and, most importantly, no supplies enter this territory.”

Eiland argued that a siege is not only an effective military tactic but is also compliant with international law. “What matters to [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar is land and dignity, and with this manoeuvre, you take away both land and dignity,” he said.

Israel still has its sights on Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attack, who has been hiding in Gaza’s tunnels for almost a year. For nearly 11 months, Sinwar maintained communication with his operatives outside the tunnels and, indirectly, with countries mediating a hostage deal with Israel, usually through intermediaries. Recently, however, communication between Sinwar and the outside world has been cut off. This has further complicated the already difficult negotiations due to significant gaps between the parties' positions.