Posted on 05/06/25
| News Source: Arutz-7
US President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Tuesday and stated that 21 of the 59 remaining hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza are still alive.
"They told me a few days ago that there are only 21 hostages alive in Gaza," he said. “As of today, it’s 21. Three have died.”
He did not provide additional details.
Trump told the reporters that he is not planning to make a stop in Israel during his trip to the Middle East next week, but added that he might visit Israel at some point in the future.
The White House recently confirmed that Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates starting May 13.
While Israel is not on the itinerary, Axios reported on Saturday that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is set to travel to Israel on May 12 before joining Trump in Saudi Arabia.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump also told reporters, “We are talking to Netanyahu about a lot of things right now” and proceeded to mention the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that it is “crunch time for Iran”.
“I hope Iran does what is right,” Trump stated, before stressing, “Iran will not have a nuclear weapon.”
The President also commented on his earlier announcement that the Houthis had agreed to stop attacking US vessels.
“We just told the military to stop attacks against the Houthis. The Houthis have decided they don’t want to do this anymore. If something happens between Israel and the Houthis, I’ll discuss that,” he said.