As the summer of 2025 draws to a close, the Israel-Hamas conflict has reached a boiling point, with the fate of dozens of hostages and the future of Gaza hanging in the balance. Tensions have escalated sharply in recent days, fueled by dramatic statements from world leaders, incendiary rhetoric in regional media, and the looming specter of a major Israeli military operation in Gaza City. The stakes—for the hostages, for the people of Gaza, and for the wider Middle East—could hardly be higher.
On August 22, 2025, former President Donald Trump sent shockwaves through families of Israeli hostages with a stark assessment: fewer than 20 of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza remain alive. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump remarked, "So now they have 20, but the 20 is actually probably not 20 because a couple of them are not around any longer." His comments, reported by JTA, came months after a ceasefire earlier in the year that saw 33 hostages released—an achievement Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for.
Trump’s disclosure was not entirely without precedent. Back in May, he had suggested that only 21 hostages were alive, even as Israeli authorities had not publicly confirmed so many deaths. In that instance, his grim forecast was later borne out by events. This time, his words have rattled the families of the remaining hostages, who have criticized Israeli negotiators for failing to keep them informed.
The numbers paint a somber picture. Of the 50 hostages still believed to be in Gaza, 49 were abducted during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and one is the body of a soldier held since 2014. Thirty of these hostages have been confirmed dead, either during the initial attack or subsequently in captivity. According to TV7 Israel News, the conditions for those who remain have grown increasingly dire, especially after Israel imposed a two-month blockade following the last ceasefire.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced mounting pressure—both from within Israel and from international actors—to accept a partial deal that would see the release of 10 living hostages and the return of some of the dead. But Netanyahu has stood firm. As reported by TV7 Israel News, Israeli officials have now declared that Jerusalem will no longer accept any partial deal that does not deliver all of the hostages and bring an end to the war. The Prime Minister has approved plans for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to invade Gaza City, targeting what is believed to be Hamas’s last major stronghold and the likely location of many hostages.
The planned invasion, which the IDF began preparing for on August 22, is a response to both the ongoing deadlock in negotiations and recent provocations from Hamas. On August 20, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz approved the enlistment of an additional 60,000 troops, signaling the seriousness of the coming offensive. This buildup comes almost exactly one year after a previous rescue attempt near Rafah ended in tragedy, with six hostages killed as Israeli forces closed in.
Yet, as Israel readies its forces, the rhetoric from the other side is equally charged. Qatar, often seen by the international community as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has shown a markedly different face in its state-controlled media. Following a Hamas operation in Khan Younis on August 20, which included a raid on an Israeli army position and an attempt to abduct Israeli soldiers, prominent Qatari journalists openly celebrated the attack and encouraged Hamas to intensify its efforts to capture more Israeli soldiers.
In the Qatari government daily Al-Sharq, columnist Ihsan Al-Faqih praised the operation as proof that Hamas remains capable of taking the initiative and loosening Israel’s military grip on the Gaza Strip. She argued that the raid "shocked Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his friends on the far right, confounded them, and upended the strategic military considerations of the Israeli leadership." Al-Faqih went on to warn that the planned Israeli invasion of Gaza City "will not be a picnic [for the Israeli forces], especially given the massive presence of [Hamas’s military wing], the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, in that area."
Her sentiment was echoed—and even amplified—by Jaber Al-Harmi, editor of Al-Sharq, who took to social media to applaud Hamas’s fighters and encourage further abductions. "Even if the Al-Qassam heroes failed to abduct Zionist soldiers this time around, the second, third or fourth attempts, Allah willing, will manage to add new rats to the number [of hostages] held by the heroes of the brigades," Al-Harmi posted. Such language, while inflammatory, underscores the deep divisions and the zero-sum mentality gripping both sides of the conflict.
Former Al-Jazeera director Yasser Abu Hilala added his voice, declaring, "This is an operation that will be studied in military academies. These are the soldiers of Allah, who, after two years of total destruction, [still] emerge from the tunnels to abduct the soldiers of the enemy!" The open celebration of these attacks in Qatar’s government press stands in sharp contrast to Qatar’s diplomatic role, highlighting the complex, often contradictory positions taken by regional powers.
Meanwhile, international attention remains fixed on the fate of the hostages and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. The United Nations has voiced alarm over food security conditions in the enclave, though Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories has rejected recent UN reports as inaccurate. Protests have erupted in Israeli cities, with tens of thousands calling for an end to the war, even as Netanyahu and his government insist that only the complete defeat of Hamas and the return of all hostages will suffice.
The diplomatic front is no less turbulent. A joint Egyptian-Qatari initiative, which reportedly called for the release of only ten living hostages, briefly rekindled optimism for a negotiated settlement. However, Israel’s refusal to accept anything short of a total resolution has left the proposal in limbo. As TV7 Israel News notes, Jerusalem has yet to formally respond to the latest Egyptian-Qatari proposal.
Amid this deadlock, the human cost continues to mount. Hostage families, desperate for news, are left to parse cryptic official statements and media leaks. Released hostages have described harrowing conditions in captivity, and Israeli intelligence has accused Hamas of deliberately starving those still held. The sense of urgency—of time running out for those trapped in Gaza’s tunnels—pervades every discussion.
With the IDF poised for a potentially decisive assault on Gaza City, the coming days could reshape the conflict’s trajectory. Whether the operation will break the stalemate or deepen the tragedy remains to be seen. For now, the world watches, holding its breath, as the crisis enters yet another perilous phase.