More than a third of the Israeli hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7 are confirmed or presumed dead, according to an Israeli government tally published on Tuesday.
Hamas fighters took about 250 Israelis and other nationals to Gaza in its brutal attack which left 1,200 people were killed.
The group has used the hostages as leverage in cease-fire negotiations with Israel, with more than 100 exchanged in November for Palestinian prisoners during a weeklong pause in fighting.
About 80 hostages held in Gaza are believed to be still alive, according to the Israeli government.
Israel declared a further four hostages dead on Monday.
Three of them had appeared in a video in December begging for their release. In March, Hamas claimed the men were killed by Israeli strikes. Hamas said numerous hostages have been killed by Israel’s ground and air operations in Gaza.
Israel said it has discovered the remains of hostages killed execution-style by Hamas.
Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Protesters blocked a Tel Aviv highway on Monday night to demand the Israeli government reach an agreement with Hamas for the release of the surviving hostages.