Twenty Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are known to be alive, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
In a video message posted to his X account, Netanyahu said, “We will not break. We will fight,” while reaffirming that intelligence assessments verify the status of 20 captives as alive.
The announcement comes amid efforts to negotiate a hostage release deal through mediators in Egypt and Qatar, with another round of talks beginning in Doha on Wednesday.
Fifty-eight hostages, living and dead, are believed to remain in Gaza.
Netanyahu said this past Wednesday night that Israel was not giving up “on a single one” of its war aims. He said that he had spoken earlier in the day with U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and would discuss the hostage crisis with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee later that night.
“We’re making all efforts, including today, to bring about the release of all our hostages and to achieve our war aims. We’re not giving up on a single one,” Netanyahu said in a video post on X, contradicting claims of critics, such as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
On Tuesday, the mother of Edan Alexander, 21, the IDF soldier released by Hamas on Monday, pointedly omitted the prime minister from the list of those she thanked for her son’s freedom.
However, Witkoff relayed to the family that Netanyahu’s efforts were critical to her son’s release.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a series of extended meetings with Witkoff and members of the negotiating team regarding the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages.
The discussions coincided with Trump’s arrival in Qatar, which has served as a key mediator in the talks, alongside Egypt and the United States.
