“As of today, it’s 21,” President Trump said of the hostages being held by Hamas, noting that until recently, it had been 24 people believed to be living.
“As of today, it’s 21,” Trump said of the hostages being held by Hamas, noting that until recently, it had been 24 people believed to be living. He did not elaborate on the identities of those now believed to be dead, nor how he had come to learn of their deaths. “There’s 21, plus a lot of dead bodies," Trump said.
Trump’s comments came just one day after the Israeli government signed off on plans to take over Gaza for an unknown period of time, according to the Associated Press. The proposal, which they say is to recover hostages and eliminate Hamas, would significantly expand Israel's military presence in the area. The decision is expected to meet strong resistance from the international community.
Meanwhile, the US State Department said Tuesday that 17 American citizens and lawful permanent residents were able to leave Gaza the day before, with help from the US embassy.
“We thank our partners in the Israeli and Jordanian governments who made this departure possible,” the State Department said in a statement.
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington to discuss regional developments.
This news comes one day after Israeli officials denied claims that a new ceasefire had been reached with Hamas, hours after the terror group announced it had accepted a proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar. Hamas said that the terrorist group’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, informed both Egyptian and Qatari mediators in a phone call that it had agreed to their terms for a temporary truce. The two countries have been central in months-long efforts to mediate between Hamas and Israel.
But Israel quickly rejected that version of events. An Israeli official told Reuters that the deal Hamas accepted was a “softened” version of a previous Egyptian proposal and included “far-reaching” elements that were unacceptable to Israel. "This would appear to be a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal," the Israeli official said.
The timing of Hamas’s announcement came just as Israel ordered an evacuation of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza and signaled it was preparing for a ground operation there. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has recently indicated that such an operation remains a key part of Israel’s objectives in the war.
The last formal ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended in March. No agreement has been reached since.
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