The bodies of six hostages including a British citizen kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 attack have been recovered in Gaza, the Israeli military said on Tuesday.
Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry were found in an overnight operation.
Mr Popplewell, 51, originally from Wakefield near Leeds, was taken captive alongside his mother Channah Peri, 79, from their home in Nirim during the Hamas attack. Peri was released in November amid a temporary ceasefire deal.
In a statement Israel did not say how or when the hostages died.
Five were over 50 years old when they were captured, and three had family members who were released during a week-long ceasefire in November.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the recovery effort and said "our hearts ache for the terrible loss".
"The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages - both alive and dead," he said in a statement.
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.
Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Haim Perry’s bodies were rescued from the Khan Yunis area in Gaza. They were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 20, 2024
The rescue operation was enabled by precise intelligence from the ISA, intelligence… pic.twitter.com/SNIOlxHH1G
Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages captured in the October 7 attack.
Israeli authorities estimate around a third of them are dead.
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 - which it has so far not done.
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.
