On Wednesday, a Wall Street Journal report cited by the Times of Israel asserted that many of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas since the October 7th, 2023, terror attacks have died. The report cites Israel Defense Forces air strikes, the use of hostages as human shields by Hamas, and failing health as likely reasons for the deaths.
While the IDF has confirmed the deaths of 34 of the 129 remaining hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7, citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza, the report said that “Israeli and American officials estimate privately that the number of deaths could be much higher.”
Some US estimates indicate that most of the hostages are already dead, American officials familiar with the intelligence told the paper, while stressing that US information on the hostages is limited and depends in part on Israeli intel.
The report comes…
