Israel has assessed that at least two hostages held in Gaza are in life-threatening condition, according to Hebrew media reports. The revelation comes just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed fewer than 20 hostages remain alive—contradicting Israel’s official figures and sending families of the captives into despair.

Channel 12 reported that senior Israeli officials fear that time is running out. Yet officials admitted they did not know what prompted Trump to suggest that “a couple of them are not around any longer” during his Friday press conference.

In an effort to calm the uproar, Israel’s hostage envoy Gal Hirsch reassured families: “According to the information we have, there is no change in the number of living hostages.” He outlined that 20 hostages remain alive, two are in grave condition, and 28 have been confirmed dead. In total, Israel believes 50 hostages are still held in Gaza—49 from the October 7 abduction and one IDF soldier killed in 2014 whose body remains in Hamas’s possession.

Families, however, are demanding full transparency, insisting that Israel provide them with all available information about their loved ones.

The heightened concern coincides with Israel’s preparations for a large-scale offensive to capture Gaza City. Channel 13 reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, facing warnings that the captives could be executed or killed in IDF strikes during the operation, has reluctantly agreed to send a delegation to renewed ceasefire talks.

But despite this shift, no date or location has been set for negotiations. Mediators Qatar and Egypt are increasingly frustrated by Netanyahu’s zig-zagging stance. After persuading Hamas to accept a framework Israel had previously agreed to—a 60-day truce in exchange for 10 hostages—Netanyahu has now walked back support, demanding a comprehensive deal that includes Hamas’s disarmament and new governance for Gaza. Egyptian officials blasted Israel’s terms as “unworkable” and damaging to ceasefire prospects.

Compounding the pressure, Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu and top aide Ron Dermer assessed Trump’s backing for Israel’s Gaza City campaign is conditional and time-limited. Trump, they said, expects a swift, decisive operation and does not want the war dragged out.

During a recent meeting, tensions flared between IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. The ministers demanded an uncompromising siege of Gaza City residents. “No water, no electricity, they can die of hunger or surrender,” Smotrich reportedly told Zamir.

The IDF chief shot back: “You don’t understand anything. You don’t know what a brigade or battalion is. This takes time.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)