Israel estimates that around half of the hostages detained in the Gaza Strip are alive, Israel Hayom reported on Sunday.
Out of the 101 hostages currently detained in Gaza captivity, 51 are believed to be alive, the report noted.
Out of that number, 37 hostages have been officially announced as dead, the report added.
The Hebrew Daily added that while conclusive evidence of the death of other hostages is still lacking, the security establishment has sufficient information to believe additional hostages are likely no longer alive.
An official reportedly told Israel Hayom that the families of hostages who are no longer believed to be alive were notified of such assessments. While some accepted these estimates, others preferred to wait for conclusive evidence.
According to the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in September that only half of the hostages were still believed to be alive.
In June, the Wall Street Journal cited US officials as saying that only 50 out of the 120 hostages detained at the time in captivity were still alive.
Hostage deal negotiations
This comes amid efforts to renew hostage deal negotiations. In late October, it was reported that negotiators holding talks in Qatar's capital of Doha discussed a deal that would see a limited number of hostages released in exchange for a short-term ceasefire.