Trump Says Three More Israeli Hostages in Gaza Have Died
U.S. President calls situation “terrible” but offers no further details on reported deaths.
At a White House ceremony on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that three more Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, reducing the number of known surviving hostages to 21.
Speaking during the swearing-in of his new Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, Trump briefly addressed the ongoing hostage crisis, revealing the updated death toll without citing sources or providing additional information.
“Well, we’ve gone very slowly,” Trump said, referring to the U.S. approach to resolving the conflict. “Because we want to try and get as many hostages saved as possible, and we’ve done a good job in that regard.”
Trump recalled a past meeting with freed hostages — which he mistakenly said took place two weeks ago, though it occurred two months earlier and involved eight individuals rather than ten. He said that during the meeting, he asked the hostages how many captives remained in Gaza.
“They said 59. I said, ‘Oh, wow, that’s more than I thought.’ They said, ‘Well, only 24 are living,’” he recounted.
“But now it’s 21,” Trump added. “That was a week ago. Now it’s 21 are living. I say 21, because, as of today, it’s 21. Three have died.”
The president did not elaborate further but described the situation as “terrible.”
According to the latest figures from the Israeli military, of the 251 people kidnapped during the October 7 Hamas attack, 58 remain in Gaza — 34 of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month ceasefire, during which hostages were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid entered the region.
The October 7 Hamas attack killed 1,218 people in Israel, mostly civilians, based on an AFP tally. The Gaza health ministry reports at least 2,507 deaths since Israel restarted its offensive, raising the total death toll in Gaza since the war began to 52,615.
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