The body of a British Israeli hostage is among six that have been recovered from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military confirmed on Tuesday.
In a statement the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that its forces recovered the bodies in an overnight operation in southern Gaza.
It identified the hostages as Nadav Popplewell, a British Israeli, Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, and Haim Perry.
The Hostage Families Forum said the recovery of the bodies had provided the families with “necessary closure” and urged the Israeli government to agree a negotiated deal for the return of the remaining 109 hostages.
In May, Hamas released a video saying that Mr Popplewell, who was taken hostage during its October 7 attack on Israel, died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike in April.
Mr Popplewell was captured with his mother from her home in Kibbutz Nirim. His brother was killed during the attack. His mother was released during a temporary ceasefire in November.
The Hostage Families Forum described him as “generous and kind” and an avid reader of science fiction novels.
A statement from the Hostages Families Forum said: “The recovery of the bodies of Abraham, Alex, Chaim, Yagev, Yoram, and Nadav crucially provides their families with necessary closure and grants eternal rest to the murdered.
“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. 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 that would see the release of scores of hostages held by the militant group.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is making his ninth visit to the region since the start of the war, said on Monday that Mr Netanyahu has accepted a proposal to bridge gaps in the ceasefire talks, and called on Hamas to do the same.
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.
“The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages – the living and the deceased.”
Hamas-led militants burst through Israel’s defences on October 7 and rampaged across the south, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage.
More than 100 hostages were released in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel during a week-long ceasefire last year.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.
Air and ground operations have caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes.
This is a breaking news story, more to come…