In a tense and emotionally charged week, U.S. President Donald Trump revealed that some of the 20 hostages believed to be alive in Gaza may have "recently died," casting fresh uncertainty over the fate of those still held captive since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Trump’s comments, delivered from the Oval Office on September 5, 2025, come amid a dramatic escalation of Israeli military operations in Gaza City and a flurry of international negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and securing the hostages’ release.
"It’s 20 people but I think of the 20 there could be some that have recently died is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong," Trump told reporters, according to CNN. He added, "We know that at least 30 people are dead, and we are negotiating to get them out." Trump did not elaborate on the source of his information regarding the possible recent deaths, but his remarks have reignited anguish among the families of the hostages and intensified calls for clarity from Israeli authorities.
The Israeli government maintains that 47 hostages abducted by Hamas and its allies during the October 7 attack are still in Gaza, including 27 who are believed to be dead. The attack itself resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures cited by AFP. In retaliation, Israel has launched a massive offensive that, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza and figures the United Nations considers reliable, has killed at least 64,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
Trump’s remarks come at a critical juncture. The Israeli military has expanded its campaign to seize and occupy Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban area, and now claims to control 40% of it. As the offensive intensifies, the Israeli military has called on Palestinians to evacuate to the Mawasi area of Khan Younis, which it has declared a "humanitarian zone." Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged, "Seize the opportunity to move to the humanitarian zone early and join the thousands who have already moved there." Yet, as of September 3, only about 70,000 Palestinians—less than 10% of Gaza City’s roughly one million residents—had managed to evacuate, according to a senior Israeli official quoted by CNN.
For many Gaza City residents, the prospect of another displacement is too much to bear. "I am staying in my home and will not be displaced again, until my last breath, even if it means death, because we are exhausted from displacement," said Abu Yasser Al-Khour, a 51-year-old father of six, in an interview with CNN. Hamas has also urged Palestinians not to heed Israel’s calls to evacuate, describing the move south as "the path to death." "Every time people believed the ‘safe zones’ lie, it ended with bloody massacres," Hamas said in a statement on Telegram.
Humanitarian organizations have also sounded the alarm. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called the mass evacuation plan "unfeasible and incomprehensible." ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric warned, "Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care."
Amid the mounting crisis, the fate of the hostages remains a central concern. Trump emphasized that the U.S. is "in very deep negotiations with Hamas" to secure the release of those still held. He called for Hamas to release all hostages immediately, stating, "We said let them all out right now, let them all out, and much better things will happen for them. But if you don’t let them all out, it’s going to be a tough situation, it’s going to be nasty." The president’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, was in Paris on September 4 for talks with Qatari officials, seeking a breakthrough on a ceasefire and hostage release deal, as reported by The Times of Israel.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, representing the families of those abducted, has expressed gratitude for Trump’s efforts. In a statement, they thanked him and Witkoff "for their unwavering determination, courage and compassion" and praised Trump’s "recent executive order that sends a clear message to the world that hostage-taking is fundamentally wrong and will not be tolerated by the US administration." The forum’s support underscores the desperation and hope among families, who have staged large demonstrations in Israel calling for a deal to end the war and bring their loved ones home.
Negotiations, however, remain fraught. Last month, Hamas accepted a Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated offer for a 60-day ceasefire, during which 10 of the living hostages would be returned in exchange for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners. The proposal, based on a plan crafted in coordination with Israel and the U.S., has yet to receive a formal response from Israel. Israel now insists on a comprehensive deal that would see all hostages released in one phase and Hamas disarmed, according to The Times of Israel. Hamas, for its part, has not agreed to disarm and accuses Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking "endless war" by not responding to the deal.
Trump’s comments also touched on the emotional toll on families, saying, "The parents want them back so badly, so badly, as if they were alive. Every bit as much; it’s really amazing." He reiterated that as negotiations reach the final stages, "when you get down to the final 10 or 20, you’re not gonna get them out unless you’re gonna do a lot and doing a lot means capitulation. That’s no good either. It’s a very tough situation."
Meanwhile, the release of a video by Hamas on September 6 showing two hostages being driven around Gaza City has heightened tensions. One of the hostages warned that he and eight others would die if Israel proceeded with its plan to take over the city. Israeli defense officials have acknowledged that the military lacks precise information about the hostages’ locations, and some have warned that the ongoing operation could put them at greater risk.
Within Israel, divisions over the best path forward are deepening. According to The Times of Israel, former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi had previously pushed for a comprehensive deal to free all hostages ahead of the Rafah offensive, but Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected the proposal as a "defeat." Now, as the government presses for a total victory in Gaza and demands that Hamas surrender, the fate of the remaining hostages hangs in the balance.
As the war grinds on, the pressure is mounting on all sides. Trump’s administration has signaled a willingness to use new tools, including an executive order allowing the U.S. to designate nations as state sponsors of wrongful detention, to deter hostage-taking. Yet, with Hamas already labeled a terrorist organization and not a state, it remains unclear how much leverage this will provide.
For the families of hostages and the millions caught in the crossfire in Gaza, the coming days may prove decisive. The world watches anxiously as negotiations continue, hoping for a breakthrough that could finally bring peace—and bring the hostages home.
