Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer informed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last month that 60 of the 101 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are thought to be alive, according to a report by Yisrael Hayom.

The updated figure is higher than the earlier estimate of 51 hostages, which Israeli intelligence provided in early November. Officially, 76 of the 101 hostages are classified as alive. Of the captives, 97 were kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

During a November 10 meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Dermer reportedly delivered messages from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed Israel’s strategies regarding Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, and Israeli-Saudi normalization.

Ruby Chen, the father of Staff Sgt. Itai Chen, an abducted soldier declared deceased, stressed the importance of returning all captives. “Everyone must be brought home, and this is a sacred duty according to Judaism,” he said.

Israeli officials believe the ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Trump’s upcoming presidency may create conditions favorable for a hostage release agreement with Hamas.

Yesterday, Hamas released a proof-of-life video of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, 20. Netanyahu called the video “cruel psychological warfare” but assured Alexander’s family that Israel is “determined to take every action to bring all hostages home.”

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