OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
1:26 PM – Tuesday, January 28, 2025
According to a list of hostages provided by Hamas, Israel claims that at least eight of the 33 hostages scheduled for release during the first phase of the temporary truce in Gaza are already deceased.
David Mencer, an Israeli government spokesperson, told reporters on Monday that the terrorist group had maintained that the 25 remaining hostages that are scheduled to be released are currently alive, Newsweek reported.
Families of the hostages have been devastated by the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of their loved ones, and some are urging Israeli authorities to work harder for their release.
The release’s initial phase is a component of a ceasefire agreement intended to temporarily put an end to the current battle between Israel and Hamas, which started when the terrorist group attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023, killing at least 1,200 people and abducting hundreds more.
Israel declared that a second release of hostages is planned for Saturday, and the following group would be released on Thursday.
According to an Israeli military physician who has been caring for hostages recently freed by Hamas, the saved individuals are in poor physical condition—requiring a lengthy recuperation period.
During his Monday press conference, Dr. Ami Benov described the seven young women he treated as suffering from “mild starvation” and nutritional deficiencies.
“They’re not in good shape. They’re not good physically,” Dr. Benov told the press.
The former hostages had all been badly injured in the October 7th attack, and they received subpar medical treatment while in detainment, Israeli officials explained.
Hamas typically has ill-equipped medical staff working for them, and a large portion of the “medical staff” are veterinarians with no prior experience working with people. In December 2024, it was reported that a Palestinian veterinarian had performed surgery on an Israeli French hostage while she was held captive by Hamas members, according to her aunt, Vivian Hadar.
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