National security adviser Jake Sullivan stated that nine Americans are still considered missing since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel during a Sunday interview with ABC News.
The U.S. continues to be in “ongoing negotiations” with the Israelis and Qataris to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Hamas terrorists are holding an estimated 240 individuals hostage in the region currently, and have released four Americans for unknown reasons in the past month, according to The New York Times.
“We do not know the precise number of hostages. We know the number of missing, and that’s the number the Israelis have given, but we don’t know how many of those are still alive. As far as the Americans are concerned, there are nine missing American citizens as well as a missing legal permanent representative, a green card holder. And so that’s the number that we are working with, that’s the number we are trying to ensure the safe return of. And we have been engaging with the families. In fact, I will personally be seeing family members of the American hostages this coming week,” Sullivan told host Jon Karl on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.”
Sullivan went on to say the U.S. does not take Hamas’ claims “at face value” as the terrorists have claimed hostages have been killed by Israeli airstrikes. (RELATED: ‘Get Everyone Back’: Family Of Hostages Released By Hamas Says They’re Focused On Helping More Return)
“Well, first, we don’t take anything Hamas says at face value, but we have no information that can either corroborate or counteract that,” Sullivan said. “So as I said before, we simply don’t know how many of the hostages are still alive, how many have been mistreated, how many Hamas itself has killed.”
A number of family members of American hostages spoke out publicly during a Tuesday event held by House Republicans. One man who spoke said his two younger brothers are currently being held in Gaza; a mother of a 26-year-old hostage emotionally said “every day is like an eternity.”
The U.S. and Israel confirmed the deaths of 31 Americans who were killed in the Hamas attack, according to Axios. At least 1,400 Israeli civilians were also killed, with many being burned alive, per The New York Times.
Hamas terrorists reportedly threatened to kill Israeli hostages on live broadcast if Israel continued carrying out air strikes in the region. Israel agreed its Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would delay its ground invasion of Gaza in order to allow more hostages to safely exit the region.