Wed May 07 05:18:55 UTC 2025: ## Three Hostages Dead, Israel Plans Gaza Seizure: Trump
**Washington, D.C. -** U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that three of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, reducing the number of known living hostages to 21. He offered no details regarding the identities of the deceased or the source of his information, stating only that “there’s 21, plus a lot of dead bodies.” One of the previously believed-to-be-alive hostages was American citizen Edan Alexander. This announcement follows Israel’s approval on Monday of a plan to seize and occupy the Gaza Strip indefinitely to recover hostages and achieve its war aims, a move expected to face significant international backlash. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reported assisting 17 U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents in evacuating Gaza on Monday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Washington on Monday to discuss the ongoing crisis.
First Piper 