CNN
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Israeli authorities said on Tuesday that the bodies of six Israeli hostages had been rescued from Gaza in an overnight military operation.
In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Organisation (ISA) named the men as Yoram Metzger, Alexander Danzig, Avraham Munder, Chaim Peri, Nadav Popplewell and Yagev Buhshtav.
The Israeli military announced the deaths of all but Munder in recent months.
“Tonight our forces returned the bodies of six hostages held by the murderous terrorist organization Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, thanking those involved in the operation for their “bravery and decisive actions.”
“We are heartbroken by this tragic loss,” he said.
Israeli authorities did not immediately release details of the operation to recover the hostages’ bodies, but a joint statement said the operation was “made possible thanks to precise information from the ISA, the IDF Intelligence Unit and the IDF Intelligence Hostage Headquarters.”
Munder, 79, Metzger, 80, and Peri, 80, were residents of Nir Oz Kibbutz near the Gaza border and were captured during a Hamas attack on October 7, according to a kibbutz statement.
Mander was taken along with his wife, daughter and grandson. They were released during a temporary ceasefire in November. Mander’s son, Law, was killed during the attack.
Metzger’s wife, Tami, was also kidnapped but was released following a ceasefire agreement in November.
Popplewell, who was 51 at the time of their abduction, and Bukshtab, 35, were taken from Nirim Kibbutz, the kibbutz said in a statement.
In May, Hamas’ military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed that Popplewell, a dual British-Israeli citizen, died more than a month ago from wounds he received when an Israeli airstrike struck the place where he was being held. CNN was unable to independently verify Hamas’ claim.
The IDF said in July that Bukhshtab had been captured in Khan Yunis and was believed to have died several months ago during an IDF operation there, without providing further details about the circumstances of his death.
According to Israeli officials, about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 kidnapped in the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
According to the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 92,000 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
