During a meeting between Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu and this year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut torch-lighters on Monday, Sara Netanyahu was heard whispering that fewer than 24 hostages in Gaza remain alive, a video released by the Prime Minister’s Office shows.

“There are up to 24 alive, up to 24 alive,” the prime minister said while referencing the 59 hostages believed to still be in captivity. Sitting beside him, Sara Netanyahu was heard quietly whispering, “less,” prompting the prime minister to add, “I say up to, and the rest of course unfortunately are not alive, and we will return them.”

Until now, the government has avoided publicly specifying how many hostages are thought to still be alive. Sara Netanyahu’s comment offers a rare, though unofficial, glimpse into the grim reality facing ongoing negotiations.

KAN News reported that Sara Netanyahu’s words refer to partial information “considered confidential and conveyed in sensitive forums.”

Despite Sara Netanyahu implying that fewer than 24 hostages are alive, a member of Israel’s hostage team told Times of Israel that “the number of living hostages (24) that the prime minister mentioned in the meeting with the torchbearers is indeed the correct official number.”

Israel believes that alongside the hostages still alive, the bodies of at least 35 others are being held in Gaza.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)