Over 20 percent of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip are dead, according to an internal Israeli intelligence assessment, The New York Times reported.
Israel's military has said it has informed the families of 31 of the hostages still thought to be held by Hamas that it believes their loved ones have died. DW has more.
The news was likely to worsen a furor in Israel, where a debate over the government’s course of action in Gaza regarding the hostages has become divisive.
The report’s estimate that 32 of the remaining 136 captives have not survived their ordeals is higher than previous numbers the Israeli authorities have disclosed.
More than a fifth of the nearly 140 Hamas hostages remaining in Gaza are dead, with at least 20 more feared to have also perished, according to Israeli military officials.
