Israel has declared some of the missing hostages as dead in captivity in an effort to provide closure to their anxious relatives. A three-person medical committee has been closely examining videos from the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas-led gunmen in southern Israel, looking for signs of lethal injuries among the abducted individuals. They have also been cross-referencing this information with the testimonies of the hostages who were freed during a week-long Gaza truce. During the truce, 108 out of the approximately 240 kidnapped individuals were released by Hamas, following negotiations with Israel that included the release of Palestinian detainees and increased humanitarian aid shipments to Gaza.

However, since the truce ended, Israeli authorities have declared six civilians and an army colonel dead while in captivity, although this has not yet been confirmed by Hamas. The medical committee, led by Hagar Mizrahi, a Health Ministry official, aims to address the desire of the families to know as much as possible about the fate of their loved ones. They have been meticulously reviewing various videos, including footage from the attackers themselves, cellphone videos from Palestinian witnesses, and CCTV footage of the hostage situation.

Through this process, they have been able to identify life-threatening wounds and observe any cessation of breathing or other crucial reflexes. The committee has also considered other factors, such as the hostages' rough treatment by their captors, the limited access to medical care in Gaza, and accounts of deaths by former hostages. They have even consulted with a religious expert due to Jewish laws that require formal recognition of a bereavement before a widow can remarry. Mizrahi emphasized that the determination of death must be agreed upon unanimously by the committee.

They understand the risk of getting it wrong, as demonstrated by the case of Emily Hand, who was initially thought to have been killed but was, in fact, taken hostage and later freed. However, being denied a proper burial can create a psychological barrier for grieving families. This was evident in the case of Shaked Gal, a conscript who went missing on Oct. 7 and was recently declared dead by the Israeli military. His mother expressed that she would not observe the traditional Jewish mourning period until her son's body is returned.

Despite this challenging task, Mizrahi stated that her panel has yet to encounter a family that refused to accept their determination. They are prepared for such cases and emphasize that their role is to provide professional expertise while respecting the families' decisions. So far, the military has recovered the bodies of one captive soldier and two civilian hostages, as well as rescuing one soldier during an operation. Efforts to recover more hostages are ongoing through indirect talks with Hamas and army operations in the Gaza Strip.