During a White House event on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump stated that three more Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, reducing the number of living hostages to 21. This announcement was made during the swearing-in ceremony of his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Trump addressed the ongoing situation, claiming efforts to resolve the conflict have been deliberate to facilitate the safe return of hostages.

He mentioned a previous meeting two months prior in which he reported that ten hostages had been freed and expressed gratitude from those individuals.

He inaccurately stated that this meeting took place two weeks ago.

In discussing the number of remaining captives, Trump recounted a conversation with previously freed hostages, who indicated that there were still 59 individuals in captivity in Gaza.

He noted that their estimate at that time was that 24 hostages were living, but updated this figure to 21 without disclosing the source of his information.

The Israeli military reported that a total of 251 people were abducted during the attack on October 7, with 58 still held in Gaza, including 34 who are believed to be deceased.

Since resuming military operations in Gaza on March 18, Israel's campaign has resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with claims of 1,218 fatalities in Israel, primarily among civilians, according to various reports.

Conversely, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported at least 2,507 deaths since the escalation of hostilities in mid-March.

The cumulative death toll from the ongoing conflict has now reached 52,615, illustrating the severe humanitarian crisis in the region.