Hamas now says it cannot come up with even forty hostages, consisting of women, the elderly, and female soldiers, to be exchanged for what, at last count, was supposed to be 700 Palestinian prisoners, some of them now serving multiple life sentences for murdering Israelis. What does that mean? It means what everyone of sense has suspected all along. Hamas has been steadily murdering many, perhaps most, of the hostages. More on these murders most foul can be found here: “Report: US officials fear most of the hostages held by Hamas could be dead,” Times of Israel, April 11, 2024:
US officials tell the Wall Street Journal that there are fears that most of the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity could be dead.
The report comes amid talks to secure a hostage release deal and a truce, with some Hamas sources indicating that they are unable to provide 40 living hostages from the elderly, women and female soldiers that Israel is demanding.
It is believed that 129 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza. The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 34 of those still held by Hamas, citing intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
How many of the 34 hostages confirmed dead by the IDF were murdered by Hamas? No one in his right mind believes that all, or most, died in Israeli airstrikes. Hamas committed mass murder of innocent civilians on October 7. Why wouldn’t it continue to murder the hostages for any number of reasons? Some Hamas members may have found the elderly Israelis required too much attention. Why not just eliminate them if they proved too much trouble to take care of? Perhaps some of the girls and women were insufficiently accommodating to the sexual demands of their captors. So why not kill a few, to make sure the others are obedient? And then what fun, after all, to every so often kill a few of the male IDF soldiers. What’s not to like?
However, the WSJ report says that “Israeli and American officials estimate privately that the number of deaths could be much higher.”
Some US estimates indicate that most of the hostages are already dead, US officials familiar with the intelligence tell the paper.
They stress, however, that US information on the hostages is limited and depends, in part, on Israeli intelligence.
The report quotes US officials as saying that some were likely killed during Israeli strikes on Gaza, while others have died from health issues, including injuries suffered during their initial capture….
This sounds as if the American officials are ready to accept the Hamas excuses about hostages dying in Israeli strikes or from natural causes. There is no way to disprove the Hamas claims, but they should not be uncritically accepted. Skepticism is in order. Instead of reinforcing Hamas’ claims, by stating that “some of the hostages were likely killed during Israeli strikes” or from “health issues,” the Americans ought to be saying instead that “though a handful of the hostages may have been killed in airstrikes, we know that most of them are being held in underground tunnels where airstrikes do not reach. We believe that Hamas has been murdering some of the hostages for any number of reasons. Some are elderly and required care that Hamas operatives didn’t want to provide; some were girls and women who tried to resist sexual abuse by their captors; some were soldiers whom Hamas decided to execute in order to frighten the other hostages into subservience. We demand that Hamas provide a full accounting of all of the hostages, living and dead, in its possession, and in the case of the latter, the cause of death.”
Let’s do the math. There were 253 people taken hostage on October 7. Four were released by Hamas in October, and 105 of them were released in the November hostage-for-prisoner swap. That left 144 captives (253-109). Three more hostages were subsequently rescued by the IDF, and three others were mistakenly killed by the IDF. That means 138 were still being held captive. In addition, twelve bodies of hostages who had been held captive and presumably were killed by Hamas were recovered by the IDF. That means 126 captives should now be alive in Hamas’ captivity. But who knows how many of those have been killed over the last few months. The Israeli government now believes that Hamas is holding onto the bodies of 31 Israelis who have died in captivity. That would mean fewer than 100 captives are still alive and are being held. But do you really think their captors have ceased to murder their helpless hostages? It’s murder most foul, and the American government ought to be taking the lead in demanding an accounting from Hamas as to just how many captives are still being held, and what the terror group claims happened to those who are dead.
And how will people react when the final reckoning is made, and it is discovered that only a few dozen hostages are still alive in Hamas’ possession? Will there be a renewal of the sympathy and solidarity with Israel that was on display in the weeks after the October 7 atrocities? Or will these revelations have no effect, as so much of.the world has made up its mind in recent months to support even the terror group Hamas against the “apartheid, settler-colonial, genocidal, Jewish state”?
Tony Rice says
This warrants Mossad tracking down the leaders of Hammas wherever they are and bumping them off. IF the hostages are no longer alive, it doesn’t matter if they died of natural causes or murdered, the FACT is they died while in enforced captivity. I wonder if the Hammas supporters around the world will now riot against Hammas and for the deceased hostages. And that anti-semitic head of the U N needs to get off his ass and go post haste to Jerusalem and plead for forgiveness.
Frank Anderson says
Killing prisoners and hostages is in strict compliance with The Perfect Man and The Perfect Example for All Time. When He lied and tricked the fortified village of Jews with a false promise of safe passage if they surrendered their weapons and abandoned their fortifications, he slaughtered the men and sold the women and children into slavery. Expecting any change is delusional for a “religion” that treats any change, reform or moderation as apostacy or blasphemy, punishable by death, is completely absurd. Islam lives to kill and die. It has no respect for anyone. Read Robert Spencer’s Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades for a good start.
gravenimage says
Grimly true, Frank.
And Tony, I agree that Israel has every reason to take out murderous Hamas leadership.
MD Anthony says
Hamas says they cannot produce 40 live hostages for any prisoner swap for 700 Hamas prisoners..
Why does the author speculate that 100 are still alive???
j
gravenimage says
Anthony, this is not exactly what Hugh Fitzgerald is saying. Please reread the article.
somehistory says
No sane person, no honest and sane person, would believe that throughout all of the six months which have passed, the hamas ghouls would do what was necessary to keep the *hostages* alive and well.
Right away, they released video of the young women they had taken…some of them dead on film; not too long after, they released video of an elderly man they claimed “had died”….taking no responsibility for his death.
Rape can kill….and has killed. Especially when inflicted on the very young and when it is violently repeated again and again. How many have the ghouls raped to death?
How many have they starved to death?
How many have died due to torture? Tortured to death?
How many have died due to needing daily medication? Medication denied by hamas ghouls?
If…giant if….they have 40 still alive, they won’t be truthful about it. If they deny that they have any number still alive, less pressure is upon them to release the ones that still live.
‘Release 40” We don’t have that many.
“Release 30” We don’t have that many…on and on….
They can keep demanding the release of the terrorists held by Israel, now demanding 900, and deny that they have any Israelis or Americans or anyone, to release in return for the 6-8 week ceasefire and release of nearly 1,000 terrorists.
And all the while, iran is threatening and hezbollah is shooting, and hamas is still active in its terrorism.
Any ceasefire will be one-sided. Any ‘release’ of persons held, will be one-sided.
Spock says
In the ’68 revolt in Paris, France, the yell was: ‘Soyez raisonnable, exigez l’impossible’: ‘Be reasonable, insist on the impossible’.
Anyway, this makes sense. Why else not pay up when you get whipped so badly? And let’s not forget: it could well be ‘and and’, instead of ‘either or’, because, let’s face it, you have to be psychopathic to randomly kill hostages, because if you waste them, you throw away your bread.
Man, how depraved!!!
Nabil Bissada says
The only solution to protect yourselves, deal with Muslims the same way Muslims deal with you.
Never deal with Muslims according to the western constitution. (Human rights, Freedom
of speech and religion)
Deal with Muslims according to the sharia law: No freedom of speech and religion, no human rights, no love no peace, no equality, lies, thieves, kidnap, rape.
No all Muslims are terrorists …But all terrorists are Muslims.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Precisely! This is something that no one wants to endorse, due to such theories such as “we’d be no better than them”
I would think that wanting to pull away from lawlessness would be the top priority, but I would think wrong
maria says
Agree, the only way to protect yourself is to neutralize all the muslims
gravenimage says
Nabil, Infidel, and Maria, we do not have to emulate Muslim thugs to protect ourselves from them.
With respect, calling for us to embrace the barbarism of islam is not something that will prevent its spread. Embracing our own values is not weakness.
We did not have to become fascists to defeat the Nazis.
James Lincoln says
Yes, gravenimage.
Western civilization can start by actually ENFORCING all of their laws.
medaber_emet says
Let me tell you something, The People of Gaza must be punished in a way that will make them understand the gravity of their deeds. unfortunately, they were indoctrinated in the last few decades to hate the Jews so much that for them it looks righteous and natural thing to kill Jews.
this fact will prevent reaching any stable long-lasting ceasefire
So the only way to make the lives of Israelis around the Gaza Strip secure is by sending the residents of Gaza into exile
maybe to south Lebanon maybe to their brothers in Iran
this is the only real solution that will allow the Israeli refugees to return to their homes and rebuild the Gaza envelope area
Ernie says
Yes Truth_Speaker , I agree completely .
Ernie says
And I want the perpetrators of the horrors all executed , the deaths and desecration of Jewish lives and non Jews as well , by these evildoers avenged . No forgiveness for the perpetrators .
Jerry says
Islamic propaganda talks about ‘Human Rights’ and demands them, except for a minor problem:
The self appointed fake last and final prophet already declared about fourteen hundred years ago that Jews and Christians are (or like) the descendants of Pigs and Apes and are, therefore, not Human and not entitled ti Human rights.
The Islamic claim for the Al Aksa Mosque and Jerusalem is bogus.
The narrative that claims that Mohammad flew on his night of death to the furthest Mosque on earth from which he ascended to heaven flies in the face of Islamic recorded history that the first Mosque there was only constructed on the orders if the Second Islamic Khalif (substitute ti the fake prophet) decades after its death.
gravenimage says
Pious Muslims don’t even want human rights for their fellow Muslims. Talk of human rights by practicing Muslims is just Taqiyya meant to sway the credulous West.
Walter says
The horrible reality is that taking into account the brutal cruel malicious murderous Islamic character of the jihadists of Hamas, those hostages who had been kidnapped did suffer unconscionable brutal sex abuse from those horrendously sadistic viciousness which also includes the cold blooded murder of Hamas hostages by the jihadists of that horrendously evil jihad entity , Hamas.
Such horrific treatment of those hostages is of no surprise when taking into account the demonic brutal cruel religion that Hamas has its foundation on, which of course is Islam, Surah 5:33. 9:123.
For there is absolutely no limits to the vile, heinous horrifically evils that the jihadists of Hamas will commit because of because of their demonic and malice-filled religion that is Islam.
Walter Sieruk says
That demonic and murderous jihad entity, Hamas has no limits, at all. Likewise, it’s jihadists also have to their abusive brutal cruel horrendously horrific heinous immoral vile sex crimes and other evils that they so maliciously commit..
In other words, that demonic jihad entity, Hamas, with is jihadists, have no limit , to their cruel heinous and horrendously horrific vile and heinous Islamic evils that it’s jihadists so maliciously and murderously commits.
Ben says
The dumbest thing Israel can do is to exchange convicted palestianan murderers & terrorists with blood on their hands for the Israeli hostages. The released palestinans will soon return to their old terrorist ways and kill more Israeli’s. As harsh as it sounds it’s better to write off the hostages than to release palestinian prisoners with blood on their hands.
CalvinsLutheran says
The West is filled to the brim with keyboard warriors speaking of what Israel should and should not do. But no one BUT Israel is doing ANYTHING. We should be thinking of how we are going to adjust to capitulation which we are more and more being subject to by our own hands. There’s no need to fret terrorists are taking note of our pusillanimous vacillating either rocking from side to side to appear engaged or simply standing still. Rabid and reptilian humanoids are paranormally observant of our lack of willingness to do anything BUT forgive forget or turn the other cheek as they advance MURDEROUSLY and not in intent only. We are not in a state of peace! We’ve been in a STATE OF WAR for 1400 years. The WOKE movement is so deluded they think that pontificating is a state of aggression and readiness!! Mike Tyson said perfectly what applies to the West right THIS MOMENT: “We all have a strategy until we get PUNCHED IN THE MOUTH.” An open border and a catatonically senile commander in chief on top of a population chock full of witless traitorous young EFFEMINATE MALES who believe that alligators can feel compassion when they eat a baby doe. Canada and Europe are the blueprint for American society in at most 2 years. Diplomatic relations involve shows of decisive and terminal force. We’re in a state of society where Sir John Glubb Pasha in The Fate of Empires pdf and Bat Ye’or in Eurabia pdf are the only books secondary to The KJV BIble for American policymakers to pay CLOSE ATTENTION TO! I seriously doubt if a single woke or even “far right”politician can read and understand any of the above works. Eric Adams? Joe Biden? The View? Mr Brandon of Chicago? Sabby Salvati? MSNBC? CNN? TYT? Watch how The Green Prince Himself is IGNORED by the suicidal empty-skulled college students who can’t read at all. We have sub-par IQ black students advocating for open border invasion because they think we’re immigrants, no black folk we are HIJACK VICTIMS of EVERYONE YOU ARE MARCHING IN BEHALF OF. 2Thessalonians 2nd Chapter is the purest description of The West you can find right this very moment. Watch Mossab Yousef’s speech to college students on YouTube. The Son of Hamas himself cannot reach this brainwashed audience. A Black Muslim is considered a defilement to Islam. Ibn Khaldun said in his Muqhadimmah pdf that: “the Black has an intelligence level scarcely above that of brute beasts.” Ham Salami and Bacon you black crow!! Bilal was chased away after Muhammad died!!! North Africans do seem to affirm this by default. Western European society affirms Gobineau TODAY. I’m sorry as a Western man I must take the empirical route.
Star Child says
If you want to know what has happened to the hostages, read Raymond Ibrahim’s “Defenders of the West”. Islam/arabs have never changed and are a violent and murderous people.
Murdering hostages is what they do. They have no respect for human life.
gravenimage says
Yes. Raymond Ibrahim–who has been a frequent contributor to Jihad Watch–grimly knows whereof he speaks.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Israel should operate on the assumption that all the hostages are dead, and complete the operation: take out Rafah, and massacre everybody from every jihadist group – not just Hamas, but also Islamic Jihad, Fatah/al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and Lion’s Den. Do it, and then start deporting all the Palis there: maybe drop them in Jordan, since Amman is now openly hostile to Jerusalem. And make it clear to everybody – PLO, Jordan, Egypt, US, et al that any more attacks on it, and Judea and Samaria will be next
gravenimage says
Infidel–with respect–civilized nations try to protect their own people whenever possible.
I do agree with the rest of your post, though.
medaber_emet says
infidel, you are absolutely right
Donovan Nuera says
Start giving Palestinian prisoners in Israel estrogen in high doses and then film them having sex in their cells; send the videos to their families after airing them on Jerusalem TV.
tim gallagher says
hamas are as evil as a bunch of psychopathic serial killers so there is no way these inhuman, scum of the earth shitheads could possibly resist the temptation to murder many of the hostages. Murder and rape are all that these vermin ever do. They all need to wiped out, then, if there is a just type of God, they can spend eternity in the hottest region of hell which is the only place such scum belong as a reward for the extremely evil lives they have lived..
James Lincoln says
All true, tim.
Pres. Trump also recently used the word “vermin”:
“We pledge to you that we will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country that lie and steal and cheat on elections…”
He was correct, but he took a lot of heat for it from the legacy media.
tim gallagher says
Yes, James, I see the scum of the earth from hamas as nothing but a bunch of extraordinarily evil serial killer types. A bunch of people with mentalities that are every bit as evil as scum like Ted Bundy or our Australian version of such scum, Ivan Milat. Raping and murdering and terrorising people is all they live for and islam is so evil that it is a religion that actually says, hey, god approves of the evil behaviour that you love to indulge in. Thanks for the comment, gravenimage.
gravenimage says
Spt on, Tim and James.
James Lincoln says
Thanks!
MICHAEL says
When this is over, Quatar should be a hunting ground for the Mossad.
Tony Rice says
That’s quite right Michael, as I wrote in my first message. It beggars belief Hamas did not take such care of those they kidnapped that they survived and in good shape. To allow otherwise shows the nature of Hamas and they need to be eliminated, humanity should not include specimens such as them. . Muslims around the world are expected to openly and publicly declare their disgust with Hamas , or they face being tarred with the same brush.
Plus the media around the world are under scrutiny as to the reporting of THEIR disgust re the revelation, the B B C being at the forefront of those expected to make amends.
gravenimage says
+1
gravenimage says
Murder Most Foul: Many of the Hostages Have Been Murdered
……………………………………………..
This is *horrifying*, but should surprise no one. We knew that hostages would be subject to further abuse, rape, and torure–and murder.
What happened to Hamas’ grotesque claim that the hostages were all happy?
“Hamas Claims That Israeli Hostages Left Captivity ‘Happy and Laughing’”
https://jihadwatch.org/2024/04/hamas-claims-that-israeli-hostages-left-captivity-happy-and-laughing
James Lincoln says
Strictly from a pragmatic point of view, Hamas should not have abused the Israeli (and other) hostages.
After all, they would make great “bargaining chips”.
But they are so evil, they just couldn’t help themselves…
somehistory says
James, they are also so very arrogant, they believed it wouldn’t matter in the long term. hamas has become emboldened like never before and doing as they please, see no repercussions for their devilish doings.
mozlums, the true psychopaths that they are, can’t imagine things going against them.
terry says
Criminals with mean-spirited and violent dispositions have no qualms about sadistic rape, torturous murder, trafficking captured ‘slaves’, body parts, drugs, fake goods, and such; these beasts are well compensated by one, or all three of the Crime Syndicates ruling our world! These criminal organizations, the Globalist Western Elites, the Marxist, and Islam, are in collusion and ‘business’ together! These powers and forces are, all around the world raping, murdering, and trafficking; the hordes of zombie-like villains operate with impunity, no fear of police or military forces, often being within their very ranks! So yes, many have been murdered, there, and all around the world for decades now! We can thank the Bushes, the Clinton.s, the Obama’s, and the Biden’s for all this mayhem in America, and the rest of the political ruling classes in all the nations around the world! They own it! All of it!