Relatives of the 59 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday renewed their call for Israeli officials to tell them if there is updated intelligence on the fates of their loved ones, after US President Donald Trump said that only 21 hostages remained alive, three fewer than Israel’s official estimate.

“The number of living hostages as is known to the families, provided to them by official sources, is 24,” the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement. “We demand again from Israel — if there is new intelligence being kept from us, pass it to us immediately.”

The families’ statement also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause the military campaign in Gaza until all hostages are returned, calling their release “the most important and most urgent national mission.”

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday evening, “As of today, it’s 21 [hostages who are still alive]. Three have died,” without providing additional details.

Gal Hirsch, the government point person on hostages, said shortly afterward that Israel’s official number remained 24.

A source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that the discrepancy could be due to the fact that Israel might have intelligence indicating that certain hostages are dead or that Israel has yet to obtain a sign of life from certain hostages since their kidnapping. However, those hostages are still officially considered to be living until their deaths can be definitively confirmed.

Parents of hostages on Wednesday........

© The Times of Israel