Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a sobering assessment on Monday regarding the fate of the remaining Oct. 7 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

Speaking to officials during a closed-door meeting on Monday with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Netanyahu reportedly announced that only half of the 97 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive. If true, that would mean around 50 innocent hostages were murdered while in captivity, a number significantly higher than the 33 deaths officially confirmed by the IDF.

Meanwhile, accusations are still being levied at Israel’s prime minister for intentionally prolonging the war in Gaza. According to Channel 12 News, Netanyahu recently added new conditions to a US-proposed ceasefire plan, such as maintaining control of the Gaza-Egypt border during any stage of an agreement.

Addressing these charges, Netanyahu pointed to Hamas’ unreasonable demands as the real obstacle to reaching peace, noting that the Iranian-backed terror organization changed the American framework 29 times.

“We are doing everything we can to bring out 30 living hostages in the first phase of a deal,” he was quoted as saying by the Hebrew news outlet.

The Prime Minister also revealed that he is considering a plan to lay siege to northern Gaza as suggested by the IDF’s top brass. This plan, along with others, such as agreeing to a series of brief ceasefires in Gaza, with a small number of hostages to be freed in each, is set to be discussed by Netanyahu’s cabinet in the coming days.