CNN
—
The Israel Defense Forces says its representatives have informed the families of four hostages being held in Gaza “that they are no longer alive.”
The IDF said it had told the families of Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, and Nadav Popplewell “who were brutally abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7, that they are no longer alive and that their bodies are held by the Hamas terrorist organization.”
The IDF said the decision to pronounce the four hostages dead was based on intelligence and was confirmed by a Ministry of Health expert committee, in coordination with the Ministry of Religious Services and the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
The circumstances of their deaths in Hamas captivity are still under examination, according to the IDF.
Chief spokesperson for the IDF, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said “Their loved ones were killed a few months ago during Hamas captivity in Gaza and their bodies are still being held by Hamas. We assess that the four of them were killed while together in the area of Khan Younis during an operation there against Hamas.”
In May, Hamas said Popplewell, an Israeli-British citizen, had died from wounds following a strike by Israeli fighter jets on his place of detention over a month earlier.
CNN is not able to independently verify this claim made by Hamas.
The IDF says it uses a “a wide variety of methods to gather information about the hostages who remain in the Gaza Strip.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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