The Israeli military announced the deaths of four hostages kidnapped on October 7, including three older men who had appeared in a Hamas video pleading for release, Associated Press reports.
The four men declared dead were Nadav Popplewell, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger, and Haim Peri, who were kidnapped alive. The Israeli military confirmed that the men were killed during an operation in Khan Younis, and their bodies are still held by Hamas. Cooper, Metzger, and Peri, all over 80, had appeared in a December video asking not to be abandoned. Additionally, the body of presumed hostage Dolev Yehud was found near the Gaza border, believed killed in the initial October 7 attack.
This news increases pressure on the Israeli government to accept a US cease-fire proposal, which could help return the remaining 80 hostages in Gaza believed to be alive, with 43 others confirmed dead. Meanwhile, Israeli bombardments and ground operations in Gaza have resulted in over 36,000 Palestinian deaths, with the offensive disrupting humanitarian aid in the southern city of Rafah.
