Israeli hostage believed to have given birth in captivity

Tel Aviv [Israel]: One of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas has likely given birth in captivity.

Officials said the woman had already been in her ninth month of pregnancy when she was abducted by Hamas terrorists on October 7. The officials stressed that their belief is not based on any specific intelligence but merely on the amount of time that has passed since the abduction.

Around 240 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage during Hamas’s attacks on communities near the Gaza border. The youngest hostage is Kfir Bibas, who was nine months old when he was taken to Gaza with his parents and a sibling.

Other hostages have medical conditions and families are worried their loved ones have no access to medication.

Hamas has denied the International Red Cross any access to the captives.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there could be a hostage deal with Hamas, speaking in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

“I think the less I say about it, the more I’ll increase the chances that it materialises,” the prime minister said, declining to give details.

So far the IDF has succeeded in freeing one hostage, Pvt. Ori Magidish, 19, on October 30, three weeks after Hamas kidnapped her from the army’s Nahal Oz Base.

Hamas released a mother and daughter who held dual Israel and American citizenship on Oct. 20 and two elderly women on Oct. 23.

Asked if he knew where the hostages were being held, Netanyahu said: “We know a great deal, but I won’t go beyond that.”