Only 25 out of 33 hostages due to be released to Israel by Hamas as part of the first phase of a ceasefire deal are still alive, a spokesperson for the Israeli Government has said.
Israel has said the next release of hostages will take place on Thursday, followed by another on Saturday.
Government spokesman David Mencer told journalists that a list of hostages was given to Israel on Sunday night, but it is unclear which of them are still alive.
Whether hostages are alive or dead inside Gaza has been a heartbreaking question for waiting families who have pushed Israel's government to reach a deal to free them, fearing that time was running out.
Approximately 90 hostages are still in captivity. Prior to this announcement, Israel believed at least 35 of them were dead.
Israel on Monday began allowing Palestinians to return to the heavily destroyed north of the Gaza Strip for the first time since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas, in accordance with a fragile ceasefire. Thousands of Palestinians headed north after waiting for days to cross.
The ceasefire is aimed at winding down the deadliest and most destructive war ever fought between Israel and Hamas and securing the release of dozens of hostages captured in the October 7 attack.
Militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in that assault and abducted another 250.
Israel responded with an air and ground war that has killed over 47,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
