British-Israeli among four dead after Hamas captivity

Now, Israel has said that the bodies of Popplewell, alongside Chaim Peri, 80, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84 are being held by the Islamist group.

All four were filmed alive in hostage videos posted by Hamas. The group said that Popplewell had died of wounds sustained during an Israeli air strike when posting his video last month.

Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that new intelligence led to confirmation of their deaths.

The military believes the four were killed together in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis a "number of months" ago when Israeli forces were operating in the city, Hagari said in remarks that were broadcast.

He said: "We are thoroughly examining the circumstances of their deaths and checking all possibilities. We will present soon the findings, first to their families, and then to the public. We will present them with transparency, as we have done until now."

Popplewell, according to a hostages support group, was captured with his mother from her home in Kibbutz Nirim. His brother was killed during the attack. His mother was freed during the November truce.

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Peri was at his house in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack. He tried to repel the gunmen while hiding his wife behind a sofa, his son later told reporters. He eventually gave himself up to save his wife, who remained hidden, his son said.

Cooper and Metzger, also from Nir Oz, were captured along with their wives, both of whom were returned to Israel during a brief November truce.

Meanwhile, Israel's border police said Israeli security forces killed a wanted Palestinian militant during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Monday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that two people were killed and six wounded in the Israeli raid near the city of Nablus.

Palestinian authorities have filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to join South Africa as a party in its Gaza genocide case against Israel.

Hamas issued a statement on Monday condemning the clashes around the Balata camp, saying "the occupation's assassinations will not limit resistance in the West Bank."

Violence in the West Bank, already on the rise before the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, has escalated since then, with frequent army raids on militant groups, rampages by Jewish settlers in Palestinian villages, and deadly Palestinian street attacks.