US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Tuesday and stated that 21 of the 59 remaining hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are still alive.
"They told me a few days ago that there are only 21 hostages alive in Gaza," he said. “As of today, it’s 21. Three have died.”
He did not provide additional details.
Following the remarks, Coordinator for the Hostages and Missing Gal Hirsch issued a statement in which he clarified, “Currently, 59 hostages are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization. 24 of them are listed as living hostages. 35 of them are listed as deceased hostages, with their deaths having been officially confirmed.”
Hirsch added, "54 of the hostages are Israeli citizens. Five of the hostages are foreign citizens. The Captives and Missing Persons Unit maintains continuous contact with all the hostages' families, and we are available to them for updates, clarifications, and reviews through various means at all times. All the hostages' families are always updated with the information we have regarding their loved ones."
Trump told the reporters that he is not planning to make a stop in Israel during his trip to the Middle East next week, but added that he might visit Israel at some point in the future.
The White House recently confirmed that Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates starting May 13.
While Israel is not on the itinerary, Axios reported on Saturday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is set to travel to Israel on May 12 before joining Trump in Saudi Arabia.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump also told reporters, “We are talking to Netanyahu about a lot of things right now” and proceeded to mention the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that it is “crunch time for Iran”.
“I hope Iran does what is right,” Trump stated, before stressing, “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”
The President also commented on his earlier announcement that the Houthis had agreed to stop attacking US vessels.
“We just told the military to stop attacks against the Houthis. The Houthis have decided they don’t want to do this anymore,” he said.
Asked what would happen if the Houthis attack Israel, Trump replied, “If something happens between Israel and the Houthis, I’ll discuss that.”
The Iranian-backed rebels stressed earlier that while they had agreed to stop attacks on US targets, they would continue attacks on Israel.