I'm John Battsu, my colleague Jonathan Shanzer, Executive Director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Gaza, the ceasefire, the pause for the hostages to be returned and for many, many hundreds of hostages of detainees of imprisoned mass murderers to be released

into Hamas. The headline, bracing for the worst, some hostage family say IDF told them

their loved ones may be dead. After Hamas conveys a list saying eight of the 26 hostages set to be released in coming weeks are dead,

relatives say the military gave them grim assessment of their loved ones.

Right now, Jonathan, we've seen a few faces emerge from their incarceration.

I saw at one point they'd been incarcerated in an unref facility, but in any event, there are many more faces that need to be seen, and if they are deceased, we need the bodies back as well.

All of that is in front of us with phase one, phase two, phase three. The last we talked, I conveyed the opinion, and you did as well, that no one expects to get through all phases.

How are we doing, Jonathan? Is there more promise?

I think that right now, the assessment that we talked about last, John, is probably the one that

still holds. We now have a little bit more information provided by Hamas that there will be out of the 33 slated for release.

25 were alive.

Eight were deceased.

My understanding is that among the eight deceased are likely to include the Bbos children.

These are the two youngest hostages.

There had been hope that perhaps they would return.

I do believe that when that bad news comes, and it's already been imparted, as we understand it

anyway, by the IDF to the family. I do think that's going to darken the mood significantly.

In Israel, I think it may begin to raise questions among the Israeli population about the utility of allowing

Hamas to continue to gain ground, to gain strength, to reorganize, to rearm.

These are all things that no one in Israel wants to see.

So there will come a question because at phase two of this deal, phase two would stipulate

that in exchange for men of fighting age to be returned,

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