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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that up to 24 hostages are believed to be alive in Gaza—an official figure confirmed by negotiators—but a whispered interjection by his wife, Sara, suggesting the number may be lower, has ignited widespread panic and criticism from the hostages’ families.
The statement came during a meeting with those selected to light torches at the Independence Day state ceremony. In remarks captured on video, Netanyahu said, “So far, we’ve brought back 196 of our hostages, 147 alive. There are up to 24 still alive.” At that moment, his wife leaned in and quietly whispered, “Fewer.” The prime minister quickly corrected himself: “I said up to. The rest, sadly, are not alive—and we will bring them back.”
The brief exchange nevertheless drew sharp criticism and fear from the families of the remaining hostages, particularly given its timing on the eve of Memorial Day. A source involved in the negotiations confirmed Tuesday that “up to 24” is the official estimate provided to international mediators and remains the most current figure.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement: “On the eve of Memorial Day, you planted unspeakable panic in the hearts of families already enduring agonizing uncertainty. What did you mean by ‘fewer’? Do you know something we don’t? We demand that the prime minister clarify his and his wife’s statements. If there is new intelligence or updated information, we have the right to know it in full.”
So far, Netanyahu has not publicly addressed his wife’s remark.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is held in Gaza, said: “If the prime minister’s wife has new information about hostages who were killed, I demand to know if my son is still alive—or if he was murdered in captivity because her husband refuses to end the war. This is unforgivable. On Memorial Day, you essentially declared that our children were killed. Enough—we deserve different leadership.”
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Alon Nimrodi, father of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, called Sara Netanyahu’s remark “the response of a small-minded woman, under whose husband’s watch hostages die and disappear.”
Footage from the event showed Transportation Minister Miri Regev passing a handwritten note to the prime minister shortly before he made the comment about the hostages. Regev, who is overseeing this year’s Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony, later said the format was adjusted to reflect the ongoing war, with three honorees per torch except for the “hostage torch,” which will have only two—symbolizing the absence of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza.
“Holding such a ceremony during wartime is incredibly complex,” Regev said. “But we will not allow terror to win. We tried to bring together the full spectrum of Israeli society—people who chose, whether at the last minute or from the start, to do something for this country.”