Israeli security officials have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that intelligence on the 101 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza has significantly declined over the past year, with growing concerns over the deteriorating conditions in which the captives are being held. The alarming report was delivered during a high-level meeting Sunday, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack.
“The more time that passes, there’s less and less intelligence on the hostages, and that’s very worrying,” a defense official told Ynet news. The source also expressed concerns that international mediators had seemingly “given up,” leaving the hostage situation falling off the global agenda, as fears of a wider regional war take precedence.
The grim assessment, shared by senior defense and government officials during the meeting, indicated that around half of the hostages are believed to still be alive, but that their conditions continue to worsen. Security officials also cautioned Netanyahu about Hamas’s readiness to execute hostages if Israeli forces get too close to their hideouts. The terror group had already carried out such executions in August, killing six hostages in a tunnel in Rafah just before Israeli troops discovered their bodies.
Adding to the urgency, the meeting also included a bleak update on the stalled hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Intermediary nation Qatar, once heavily involved in facilitating talks, has reportedly distanced itself from Israel’s stance and aligned more closely with Hamas’s demands. U.S. efforts to prevent escalation in the region were also critiqued, with one source claiming the U.S. holds unrealistic expectations of brokering a comprehensive agreement involving Hezbollah, Gaza, and even Iran. “They live in a delusion,” the source said.
Hamas has made clear that it has no intention of softening its demands in negotiations. On Sunday, senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya issued a defiant statement, rejecting Israel’s proposed terms for a ceasefire-hostage release deal. “What we rejected yesterday, we will not accept tomorrow,” Al-Hayya declared, emphasizing the group’s demand for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza—something Israel has firmly refused.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to ramp up its military efforts against Hamas. On Sunday, the IDF launched a new ground operation in Jabaliya, a city in northern Gaza, targeting Hamas’s military infrastructure. The IDF reported that several dozen Hamas operatives were killed in the offensive, with plans to continue operations “as long as necessary.”
The renewed military pressure has raised concerns among families of the remaining hostages, who fear for their loved ones’ safety as the conflict intensifies. Representatives from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed these fears to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, warning that “military pressure kills hostages,” and urging for caution as the military campaign proceeds.
Currently, 97 of the 251 hostages abducted on October 7 remain in Gaza. Though 105 hostages were released during a weeklong truce in November, and eight were rescued by Israeli forces, many families remain in agonizing uncertainty. Hamas also continues to hold two Israeli civilians who entered Gaza in 2014 and 2015, along with the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.
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One Response
there really isn’t much to do if we don’t know where the hostages are.
instead, we should blow up ALL the underground tunnels since Hamas hide there with their weapons and manages to sneak around all of Gaza without the IDF seeing them.