Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the fathers of two hostages and one former hostage on Thursday night, as fears grow for the fate of three captives in Gaza, following U.S. President Trump’s recent declaration that only 21 are still alive.
Netanyahu posted on X: “This evening I spoke with Yaron Or, the father of abductee Avinatan Or, and with Yitzhak Horn, the father of Yair and Eitan Horn. Yair was released in the last deal, and Eitan is still held captive by Hamas.
“In the conversation, I described the efforts being made to bring back all the hostages and emphasized that this is a mission the government is not letting go of. I clarified that actions on this matter are being carried out continuously—including in the past 24 hours.”
Since Trump said only 21 hostages remain alive, instead of the official Israeli figure of 24, family members of captives held in Gaza have demanded further information from the government. This also follows Sara Netanyahu’s correction of her husband, caught on a hot mic at a Memorial Day commemoration, when she said there were fewer than 24 living hostages among the 59 captives, living and dead, held by terrorists in Gaza.
One of the hostages about whom there is great concern is Tamir Nimrodi, who was serving as an IDF Education and Youth Corps instructor at the Nahal Oz base when Hamas terrorists overran it.
Nothing has been heard of him since Oct. 7, 2023, and there are concerns that he is one of three hostages thought to no longer be alive, but about whom there is no confirmation. The remaining two are thought to be foreign nationals caught up in the massacre.