Israel's Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, has shared an encouraging assessment about the hostages in Gaza during a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump. During their meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida about three weeks ago, Dermer estimated that approximately 60 hostages are still alive, according to Israel Hayom.
This estimate is higher than previous assessments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials, who had spoken of about 50 living hostages.
Officially, 76 out of 101 hostages are listed as alive, after intelligence confirmed that 35 are deceased.
Israeli leadership believes that the ceasefire with Hezbollah has created a new opportunity for a hostage release deal.
A senior political source explained that following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Hamas leaders believed in the potential for regional escalation and rejected deal proposals.
Now, with reduced tensions with Hezbollah, there could be a new diplomatic window of opportunity. Also, Israeli officials assess that Trump's possible return to the White House could influence negotiations, creating new regional dynamics.
Israel Hayom contributed to this report.
