Israel announces killing of 4 more hostages in Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) — Four more hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 have been declared dead by the Israeli military — including three elderly men seen in Hamas videos begging to be released. Monday’s announcement increases pressure on the Israeli government to agree to a U.S. cease-fire proposal that could ensure the return of hostages still held in Gaza and end the eight-month war.

About 80 hostages are believed to be alive in Gaza, as well as the remains of 43 others. Since President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire proposal on Friday, Israel has seen some of its biggest protests demanding the government let them return home. Although Biden said the proposal was Israeli, the Israeli leadership has distanced itself from the plan, and vowed to continue military operations against Hamas until the terrorist group is wiped out.

All four men declared dead Monday night — Nadav Popplewell, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Peri — were kidnapped and taken alive to Gaza, according to the Hostages Forum, a grassroots group representing the hostages’ families.

“The time has come to end this cycle of sacrifice and neglect,” the group said after the announcement. “Their killing in captivity is a symbol of disgrace and a sad reflection on the importance of delaying previous agreements.” The group called on the government to immediately approve a new ceasefire plan.

Late Monday, hundreds of people, including relatives of hostages, gathered outside Israel’s Defense Ministry and military headquarters in central Tel Aviv to demand a settlement. Smaller protests took place across the country.

About 100 detainees were released during a week-long hostage exchange for Palestinian prisoners in November. Three of those declared dead on Monday had female relatives who were released during the exchange.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the four hostages were killed while they were together during an army operation in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. He said the four were killed months ago, but recent operations helped the army gather enough intelligence to confirm the deaths.

Their bodies are still held by Hamas and the cause of death is not yet known. Hamas claimed in May that another hostage, Nadav Popplewell, who was declared dead, had died after being injured in an Israeli airstrike, but did not provide any evidence. Popplewell was over 50.

“We are examining all options. There are a lot of questions,” Hagari said.

Cooper, Metzger and Perry were all 80 years old or older. They appeared in a video released by Hamas in December titled, “Don’t let us grow old here.” In the video, all three men appear thin, wearing thin white T-shirts.

“We are the generation that founded the state of Israel,” Peri said, adding that all the men were suffering from serious illnesses. “We don’t understand why we have been abandoned here.”

According to the Hostages Forum, Cooper was an economist and one of the founders of Kibbutz Nir Oz. Metzger helped establish the kibbutz winery and Perry created the community’s art gallery and sculpture garden.

Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, was one of the towns worst hit during the Hamas attack on October 7, when Palestinian militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Gaza.

The news came after it was announced late Monday that the body of an alleged hostage, Dolev Yehud, 35, had been found in a community near the Gaza border that was attacked by Hamas militants on October 7. Until Monday, it was believed Yehud was one of dozens of hostages held in Gaza, but the military later announced the discovery of his body and said he had been killed in the initial attack.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombing and ground operations in Gaza, although the ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel is expanding its offensive on the southern city of Rafah, once a main hub for humanitarian aid operations. The Israeli offensive on Rafah has cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to massively starving Palestinians.