[Field News] Israel estimates 50 Hamas hostages killed
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 6th (local time) that the Israeli government has estimated that 50 people had already been killed among the hostages held by Hamas, an armed Palestinian faction.
This is a substantial departure from 29 which is the previously reported number by Israel, shared with the U.S. and Egyptian officials.
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If the new estimate is true, it means that 80 of the 132 hostages held by Hamas are still alive. So far, no hostages have been handed over to Israel.
When Hamas militants raided the southern part of Israel on Oct. 7, they kidnapped more than 240 hostages. Hamas indiscriminately attacked concert halls and local community residents, killing 1,200 people.
The number of surviving and dead hostages is at the heart of negotiations between Israel and Hamas brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar.
The hostage issue is a politically sensitive topic in Israel, and the hostage families have pressed the government to do more to free the hostages.
Additionally, Israel said Hamas is holding two hostage bodies that were killed during the 2014 Gaza War. The total number of Israeli hostages killed or alive stands at 136, considering that Hamas already held two Israelis before October 7 last year.
Egyptian officials said Hamas told the negotiators that it did not know the exact number of hostage deaths.
Hamas also claimed that some of its hostages were killed in an Israeli airstrike. Israel refuses to acknowledge this.
The U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt to try to negotiate for a ceasefire. He will also visit Israel and the West Bank.
The conflict between the two sides concerns a ceasefire, with Israel insisting that only a temporary ceasefire is possible, while Hamas wants an end to the war.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
God the Father of Israel,
We pray for this people who are still suffering and confused in the midst of war.
Protect the hostages held in Hamas so that they do not die, and that there would be no more escalation of the situation. Please visit the hearts of the families who want their families to return to them as soon as possible. So that they can come back to the Lord with confidence in God, our only comforter.
We trust that the good work of the Lord among this people will continue through this time of suffering!
Let the people of Israel return to you believing in the true Messiah Yeshua as you work among them.
At a time when the minds of the Israelites are poorer than ever, restore their identity as the priests of all nations. May they not be conformed to this generation but be transformed into a nation displaying the complete will of God in all the nations!
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