Israel reported the death of four more hostages held by Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces informed about the death of four more hostages captured by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, during an attack on Israel.

The Times of Israel writes about it.

The dead are 51-year-old Nadav Popplewell, 79-year-old Chaim Peri, 80-year-old Yoram Metzger and 84-year-old Amiram Cooper. They were stolen from the Nir-Oz and Nirim kibbutzim in southern Israel during a Hamas attack.

All four hostages are believed to have died together several months ago in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said. According to him, the Israeli army was fighting in the area at the time. The bodies of the dead remain in the Gaza Strip, the circumstances of their death have not yet been established. Relatives were informed of their death.

"I know there will be difficult questions about the circumstances of their deaths," Hagari said, commenting on the possibility that the hostages may have been mistakenly killed during IDF airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. "We are thoroughly investigating the circumstances of these deaths, considering all possibilities, and will present the results first to the families and then to the public."

The wife of Amiram Cooper, who was an economist and one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir-Oz, was also taken hostage. She was released in October 2023 during a week-long truce. Cooper is survived by three children and nine grandchildren.

Yoram Metzgerʼs wife was also taken hostage and released in October. Along with her, Nadav Popplewellʼs mother, Hannah, was among those released. Popplewellʼs brother Roy was killed in a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Nirim. In addition to Israeli citizenship, Nadav Poplvel also had British citizenship.

In December 2023, Hamas released a video showing the three hostages — Cooper, Metzger, and Perry — alive. Already in March, Hamas announced that all three were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. In addition, Popplewell appeared in one of the videos released by Hamas in May 2024 — presumably weeks after his death.

The war between Israel and Hamas

The war between Israel and Hamas has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, when the Islamist group launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invading the country and killing at least 1,200 civilians. According to Israeli authorities, at least 250 people were taken hostage. At least 125 people are still being held in the Gaza Strip after a November prisoner swap deal that freed more than 100 people from Hamas captivity.

In response, Israel launched a counter-terrorist operation. The Prime Minister of the country Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israelʼs military goals are clear — "the destruction of the military and management potential of Hamas and the return of the hostages home."

In April, when Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced a new IDF operation in Rafah, there were more than a million Palestinians in the city. The Israeli authorities are determined to conduct an operation and eliminate the last four Hamas battalions based in the city. There is also a task to eliminate the leaders of the militants.

However, Israel recently made a proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages, which has already been handed over to Hamas militants through the mediation of Qatar. The agreement envisages three stages: a complete ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages, negotiations on a "permanent cessation of hostilities" in the Gaza Strip, the restoration of Gaza and the transfer of the remains of the dead hostages to their relatives.