Thirty-one of the 136 hostages not released by Hamas-led militants have died since more than 240 people were seized in a deadly rampage across Israeli border communities Oct. 7, an advocacy group for the families said Tuesday.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said family members of those who died have been notified as the Israeli military obtains confirmation. The forum issued the statement after the New York Times, citing a confidential military assessment, put the number of deceased hostages at 32.
An Israeli military spokesperson told JewishPress.com that families are kept updated with new information, adding that the “vast majority” of the deceased hostages were killed the day they were taken. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on the reports.
More than 100 hostages were freed as part of a weeklong cease-fire deal in November. Israel says 136 others remain in Gaza, including the bodies of those who died.
Family members of hostages and their supporters have repeatedly protested in Israel, urging the government to step up efforts to negotiate for the captives’ freedom. The relatives fear more will die as the war drags on. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said again Monday a deal is not imminent.
“Hamas has demands that we will not agree to,” Netanyahu said.
US targets Iran-backed groups:Strikes continue into second day
Developments:
∎ Iran will conduct joint naval exercises with Russia and China within the next six weeks, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said. Iran-backed militants have been attacking U.S. bases and disrupting commercial shipping in the Middle East for months.
∎ More than 100 people were briefly taken into custody in Pennsylvania after protesting state investments in Israel on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg.
∎ The U.N.’s Palestinian relief agency expects its preliminary report into Israeli claims that a dozen of its employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to be ready by early March. The U.S. and Britain are among several nations that have suspended desperately needed funding pending the probe.
Low-flying drone may have eluded defenses at Jordan base, report says
The exploding drone that killed three American soldiers in Jordan last week may have gotten through defenses because it was flying low and the U.S. base it attacked lacked the ability to shoot it down, the Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing an early military assessment.
The Jan. 28 assault at the base known as Tower 22 also injured approximately 40 service members and led to a series of retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria that began Friday.
The drone’s low flight path allowed it to elude air defenses for Tower 22, which rely on disabling aerial threats or disrupting their trajectory instead of destroying them, the Post report said. U.S. officials initially indicated the hostile drone may have been confused for a surveillance drone returning to the base in a remote part of northeast Jordan near the border with Syria and Iraq.
Hamas response to peace deal: ‘Generally positive’ and ‘over the top’
The latest Gaza cease-fire plan drew a “generally positive” response from Hamas leaders, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Tuesday at a press briefing in Doha with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Blinken said he would brief Israeli officials on the Hamas response when he meets them Wednesday but shared few details, though he said a pathway to more lasting peace in the region is “coming ever more sharply into focus.”
Blinken has been working with Qatar and Egypt to breathe life into stalled negotiations aimed at pausing and ultimately ending the war in Gaza, also meeting Tuesday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo. Part of the plan calls for the return of more than 100 hostages to their homes and families as well as a path forward for Gaza and the Palestinians.
President Joe Biden said at the White House there has been “some movement” on the proposed deal. “There has been a response from the opposition … from Hamas,” Biden told reporters. “But it seems a little over the top. We’re not sure where it is.”
Blinken is in the middle of a five-day Middle East tour aimed at energizing peace talks. Negotiations have bogged down, however, as Hamas leaders repeatedly reject an plan to release more hostages until Israel permanently removes its forces from Gaza − and Israel has refused to leave until Hamas has been destroyed.
− Contributing: Michael Collins
Houthis continue attacks on commercial ships; US sinks 2 Houthi boats
A British-owned cargo ship sustained minor damage in an attack Tuesday as Houthi militants continued to disrupt shipping in the Middle East despite a U.S.-British aerial assault on their targets just days ago. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said no injuries were reported and the ship continued on its journey after the assault in the Red Sea, about 60 miles off Yemen.
Hours earlier, U.S. Central Command said it had destroyed two Houthi drone boats packed with explosives after determining they presented an “imminent threat” to the U.S. Navy and commercial ships in the region.
The attacks came after U.S. and British missiles struck 36 Houthi targets Saturday, sending what Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called a “clear message to the Houthis” that they will face military repercussions if they don’t stop targeting ships in the region.
The UKMTO report on the attack said the British ship’s master “was aware of a small craft on his Port side” that fired a projectile that passed over the deck, causing slight damage to the bridge windows. Houthi’s military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said the militants were conducting “self-defense” operations.
Contributing: The Associated Press
