Israel is aware that Hamas may not find and return all the remaining dead hostages in the Gaza Strip, three Israeli sources told CNN on Wednesday.
The CNN report said that the Palestinian militant organization that kidnapped over 200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, may not know the location of the 28 slain hostages currently held in the enclave, according to assessments based on Israeli intelligence reports.
One of the sources told CNN that the number of missing hostages is between seven and nine, another said it could be between 10 and 15.
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The sources also told CNN that Netanyahu’s government has been aware for months that Hamas doesn’t know all of the deceased hostages’ whereabouts.
The report added that it is unclear if this will affect the negotiations in Egypt. One source told CNN that Israel expects all hostages, whether dead or alive, to be returned by Hamas. The Palestinian organization may use this uncertainty to draw out the implementation of parts of the cease-fire deal.
Another source said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could use this to torpedo a cease-fire deal, but that given the pressure the prime minister is facing from U.S. President Donald Trump and others, Netanyahu won’t use the slain hostages to collapse the entire agreement.