Body of British Israeli hostage among six recovered from Gaza

The body of a British-Israeli hostage is among six that have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military has said.

In a statement the Israeli army said that its forces reclaimed the bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza.

It identified the hostages as Nadav Popplewell, 51 who was from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, Yagev Buchshtab, 35, Alexander Dancyg, 76 Avraham Munder, 79 Yoram Metzger, 80 and Haim Perry, 80.

The Hostage Families Forum – a group representing relatives of those taken captive – said the recovery of the bodies had provided the families with “necessary closure” but urged the Israeli government to agree a negotiated deal for the return of the remaining 109 hostages.

In May, Hamas released a video claiming that Mr Popplewell, who was among the 250 people taken hostage during its October 7 attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people, died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike in April.

A month later the Israeli military confirmed Mr Popplewell’s death saying he was among four hostages “killed while together in the area of Khan Younis during our operation there against Hamas.” Mr Popplewell, who was diabetic, was captured with his mother from her home in Kibbutz Nirim. His brother was killed during the attack. His mother Channah Peri, 79 years old at at the time, was one of around 100 hostages released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel during a week-long temporary ceasefire in November.

Adele Raemer, 69 an American-Israeli English teacher who lived just three doors down from Mr Popplewell’s family and was a friend, described him as a “quiet man, kind soul” and a computer genius who cared for his frail mother who was also diabetic. Ms Raemer, who survived the 7 October attack on Kibbutz Nirim and knew many of the hostages, said Mr Popplewell had been alive and comparatively well when his mother Channah was released in the 24 November deal.

Mrs Peri had told her the pair had been held in the same underground network of Hamas tunnels, where his mother described her son giving up the precious remains of his insulin to give to her her. “The families, who have already set their week of mourning, at the very least get to have the bodies back and have some closure... But we need to start bringing back people alive not dead,” Ms Raemer told The Independent, putting part of the blame on the international community for not exerting enough pressure on Hamas to release their captives.“

“The Israeli military has already done a lot of damage in Gaza, and I expect progress. [The hostages] have been there long enough,” she said. “The people who were lost, they were peace-loving individuals who put their hands out to those on the other side of the border. They are the last people who deserve to be kidnapped and slaughtered.”

The statement from the Hostage Families Forum said: “Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to return all the murdered for dignified burial and to bring all living hostages home for rehabilitation.”

“The immediate return of the remaining 109 hostages can only be achieved through a negotiated deal,” it added. “The Israeli government, with the assistance of mediators, must do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table.”

The recovery came as the the United States, Egypt and Qatar are trying to mediate a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Mr Netanyahu has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps in the ceasefire talks, after the two met for talks in Tel Aviv. Mr Blinken is traveling to Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday for further negotiations.

The negotiations are progressing as Israel continues its offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, with further intense fire reported overnight in the city of Khan Younis.

Palestinian civilians fleeing the area told The Independent: “Even in the so-called humanitarian areas which aren’t under evacuation orders the drones were shooting everywhere, we had bullet holes in our tent,” said Ahmad*, following evacuation orders from the Israeli military that have been placed twice in the last week.

He asked for his name not to be mentioned for fear of his security. “We had to flee by foot as there were so many cars blocking the road”.

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said :“Overnight our forces returned the bodies of six of our hostages that had been held by the murderous Hamas terrorist organization: Avraham Munder, Alex Dancyg, Chaim Peri, Yagev Buchshtav, Yoram Metzger and Nadav Popplewell – of blessed memory.

“Our hearts grieve over the terrible loss. My wife Sara and I convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families.I would like to thank the brave IDF and ISA fighters and commanders for their heroism and determined action.”

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza that has followed the Hamas attack has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according health officials in the strip. Air and ground operations have caused an unprecedented level of destruction and forced the vast majority of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes, many multiple times.

*Name changed to protect identity