There may only be 50 captives still alive in Gaza, according to a US official and mediators in captive-release talks cited by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

That estimate, which the WSJ said relies partly on Israeli intelligence, implies that as many as 66 captives unaccounted for in Gaza could be dead, a higher toll than Israel has publicly stated.

Hamas took around 250 captives on October 7 and has since released 109 of them alive to Israel, mostly in exchange deals. Seven more captives have been rescued alive by Israel’s military.