In a recent meeting with Maryam Kamalmaz, the daughter of an American citizen who disappeared while traveling in Syria seven years ago, senior American officials presented highly credible intelligence suggesting that her father, Majd Kamalmaz, has passed away. The officials, who met with Maryam in Washington earlier this month, expressed a "high nine" confidence level regarding the presumed death of her father.

Maryam Kamalmaz revealed that she had asked the officials about the successful recovery of other detained Americans based on similar credible information, to which she was informed that no such cases had occurred. The presentation of detailed intelligence during the meeting left Maryam with no doubts about her father's fate, stating, "What more do I need? That was a lot of high-level officials that we needed to confirm to us that he's really gone. There was no way to beat around the bush."

According to officials, they believe that Majd Kamalmaz's death occurred years ago, early in his captivity. In 2020, the family was informed that Majd had likely died of heart failure in 2017, but they held onto hope and U.S. officials continued their pursuit for more information. However, it was during the recent meeting that officials confirmed the credibility and verification process of the intelligence, although the specifics were not disclosed by Maryam.

The White House declined to comment on the matter, while the FBI's Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell released a statement emphasizing their commitment to working on behalf of the victims and their families to recover all U.S. hostages and support families with missing loved ones.

Majd Kamalmaz disappeared in February 2017 while visiting an elderly family member in Syria. The FBI reported that he was stopped at a Syrian government checkpoint in a suburb of Damascus and had not been heard from since. His case is one of several Americans who have gone missing in Syria, including journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared in 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus. Syria has publicly denied holding Americans in captivity.

Efforts to negotiate the release of American captives, including Majd Kamalmaz and Austin Tice, were made in 2020 during the final months of the Trump administration. However, the meetings with Syrian officials proved unfruitful, as no proof-of-life information was provided, and the demands made by the Syrians were deemed unreasonable by U.S. officials. Despite this setback, U.S. officials continue their efforts to bring Austin Tice back home.

The confirmed presumed death of Majd Kamalmaz has brought closure to his family while highlighting the ongoing plight of Americans missing or held captive in Syria.