IDF recover body of murdered Brit Hamas hostage kidnapped alongside mum in Oct 7 massacre & held in Gaza tunnels
THE body of Brit hostage Nadav Popplewell has been recovered from Gaza alongside five Israeli hostages, say Israel’s military.
The 51-year-old, who had been held in Hamas’ network of tunnels since the October 7 attacks, tragically died from serious injuries back in December.
The terrorist group’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, confirmed his death in a video in May.
Hamas claimed Nadav, originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had died after an Israeli airstrike.
Just weeks earlier, the terror group taunted his family with a horrifying ten-second clip of him where the Brit looked visibly bruised and shaken up.
Officials in his home region of Kibbutz Nirim disputed the reasons for his death and said he was murdered by his terrorist captors.
The IDF released a statement today saying all six of the hostage’s bodies were recovered in an overnight operation in southern Gaza.
Along with Nadav, the military found Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger and Haim Perry in the Khan Younis area.
It was conducted by the IDF’s 98th Division who deployed the Paratroopers Brigade, ‘Yahalom’ Unit, and the 75th Battalion to help as well as specialist Shin Bet forces.
The Hostage Families Forum described the operation as providing “necessary closure” for the families of the six hostages.
Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “The State of Israel will continue to make every effort to return all of our hostages – both alive and dead,”
Before adding “our hearts ache for the terrible loss”.
Nadav was kidnapped from his home during Hamas’s October 7 attack along with his mother, Channah Peri, 79.
Peri was released during a one-week truce in November but Nadav’s older brother Roi Popplewell, 54, was ruthlessly killed in the horror assault.
Hamas is said to be still holding around 109 hostages in underground tunnels in the war-torn Gaza strip.
Israeli authorities believe a third of them have been killed already.
Around 1,200 civilians were brutally massacred back in October 2023 by Hamas thugs as 251 were taken hostage.
Since then Israel has hit back with attacks which have eliminated several high profile Hamas militants but also killed 40,000 people in Gaza, according to the region’s Hamas-run health ministry.
It comes as the world continues to hope for a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
The US, Egypt and Qatar are trying to come to terms with Hamas to figure out an end to the fighting.
They hope this will allow all the remaining hostages to be freed and the bodies of those who have died to be recovered.
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly accepted the framework of a ceasefire deal.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the breakthrough followed three hours of talks Monday evening.
But the terror are yet to accept a deal after branding peace moves “an illusion”.
Last week, Hamas released photos of a hostage it claims a guard recently killed.
Shameless Hamas posted the twisted “psychological warfare” image only for it to later be revealed that the Israeli man’s body was recovered last year.
The 27-year-old Ofir Tzarfati was shot and wounded when he was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival on October 7.
On November 27, the IDF declared he was dead with his body being recovered from Gaza on December 1, the Times of Israel reported.
The Israel-Hamas war
By Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
IN the 10 months since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, waves of conflict have broken out across the Middle East.
Some 1,200 Israelis and foreigners were killed and 250 taken hostage in the hideous ambush.
115 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, including 41 whose deaths have been confirmed by the Israeli authorities.
Israel has repeatedly vowed to wipe out every member of Hamas despite civilian collateral in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas claims some 40,000 have died in Gaza – and the IDF say they have killed 15,000 terrorists since October 7.
Most of the Strip has also been destroyed by the fighting and airstrikes, reportedly displacing some two million people from their homes.
Some Israelis have pushed against Netanyahu’s regime for a deal that will see the 115 hostages who remain in Gaza alive returned home with protests in Tel Aviv.
Israel is also facing a fresh wave of conflict with Iran and its various other puppet proxies in the region, namely Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Civilians across the region are at risk from the fighting, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.