Israeli security chiefs warn government: Only ending war will free remaining hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with key government ministers and top security officials on Sunday at the Kirya Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv to discuss the situation regarding the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Israel’s senior security officials, including Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad Director David Barnea, and the IDF’s hostage coordinator, Maj. Gen. (res.) Nitzan Alon, reportedly told the government that despite the IDF's elimination of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the terror group still demands an end to the war as a condition for releasing the remaining hostages, according to unnamed sources.

The heads of Israel’s security were reportedly informing government ministers that the only way to secure a hostage-release deal would be to agree to the demands of Hamas, Hebrew media reports said without going into further detail. 

For several months, negotiations to free the hostages have stalled, with little hope of progress anytime soon.

Other Israeli ministers who reportedly attended the Sunday night meeting include Defense Minister Israel Katz, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, defense officials held a separate meeting with Katz earlier Sunday, giving him “a very grim assessment” regarding the condition of the hostages, who have been held captive in Gaza by Hamas for more than 400 days.

The health team from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum estimated last week that an unknown number of the remaining hostages have lost about half of their body weight due to starvation, significantly reducing their chances of survival as winter approaches.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of American-Israeli hostage Sagui, recently told the Times of Israel he fears “there’s a very real possibility that none of the hostages will remain alive, and it will be nearly impossible to retrieve the remains of those who have been murdered,” if a hostage deal is not reached before President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office in January.

An estimated 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 of last year remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 who have already been confirmed dead by the IDF.

In a closed-door meeting earlier this month, Israeli officials assessed that as many as half of the hostages held in Gaza may have already perished. The assessment was based on intelligence collected from public sources and classified operational data.

According to the Times of Israel, a large majority of Israelis support a hostage-release deal with Hamas that would end the war in Gaza. Across Israel, posters, stickers and murals serve as constant reminders that the hostages are still being held captive in Gaza.