Just to give everyone an update, I believe I read earlier in the week that Hamas is currently holding 109 hostages and only 70+ are believed to still be alive.

Just bringing up that recent news are that Hamas said they cannot release 40 living hostages.

I assume the numbers here are for living hostages?

@noney Correct, the question pertains to living hostages only. In regards to the news your referencing, Hamas is saying they do not have 40 living hostages that fall under the specific criteria that Israel is proposing such as women, people over 50 years of age, and people who suffer from medical conditions. Hamas still has 100+ hostages under their control so if they cannot meet Israel’s demands, they may release other hostages that do not fall into those categories in order to meet the required total of 40.