Trump says only 21 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza now believed to be alive

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, leaving only 21 believed to be still living.

“As of today, it’s 21, three have died,” Trump said of the hostages being held by Hamas, noting until recently it had been 24 people believed to be living. He did not elaborate on the identities of those now believed to be dead, nor how he had come to learn of their deaths. “There’s 21, plus a lot of dead bodies,” Trump said.

One American, Edan Alexander, had been among the 24 hostages believed to be alive, with the bodies of several other Americans also held by Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

The president’s comments came as Israel approved plans Monday to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, in a bid to recover the hostages and try to fulfill its war aims of destroying Hamas. If implemented, the move would vastly expand Israel’s operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition.

Separately, the State Department said Tuesday that the U.S. embassy helped 17 U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents leave Gaza on Monday.

“We thank our partners in the Israeli and Jordanian governments who made this departure possible,” the department said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday in Washington.