Four more hostages have died in Hamas custody; Israel says more than a third are dead

Four Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 and a paramedic who was killed after he "left his home to save lives" have been confirmed dead, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday.

The families of hostages Nadav Popplewell, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper and Haim Perry were informed that they are "no longer alive" and that Hamas has their remains, the IDF said.

"Our hearts go out to their families," IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said. "We are sorry. We couldn’t save them in time."

Hagari also announced the death of 35-year-old paramedic Dolev Yehud, who was killed Oct. 7.

"He left his home to save lives," Hagari said, adding that Yehud is survived by his pregnant wife and their three children. "He was murdered by Hamas."

The deaths were announced as a cease-fire proposal backed by President Joe Biden was being challenged by right-wing ministers in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who are opposed to any deal with Hamas.

Netanyahu is also under pressure on the other side from the families of remaining hostages, who are pushing for a deal that would secure the return of their loved ones.

Some 120 Israeli hostages now remain in captivity, an official israeli government count said Tuesday, nearly eight months after they were abducted in a deadly surprise attack by Hamas that sparked the Israeli assault on Gaza. Of those 43 have been declared dead in captivity, the government tally showed.

The IDF's said its decision to "pronounce the four hostages dead was based on intelligence."

"We estimate that the four of them were killed together in the Khan Yunis area several months ago while being held by Hamas terrorists," Hagari said of Popplewell, Metzger, Cooper and Perry.

Hagari did not say how they died. But in March, Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Ubaida said that Perry, Metzger and Cooper were among seven hostages killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.

Last month, Popplewell was seen in a propaganda video released by Hamas, Israeli media reported.

Popplewell, who was 51 and a dual Israeli-British citizen, had been taken captive with his mother from their home at the Nirim kibbutz. His brother, Roi Popplewell, was killed in the attack, according to Israeli media.

“Kibbutz Nirim announces with deep sorrow the death of abductee Nadav Popplewell in the captivity of Hamas in Gaza,” the community said in a statement released Monday.

Popplewell's elderly mother, Hanna Perry, was among a group of more than a dozen Israeli hostages who were released on Nov. 24 as part of a temporary cease-fire deal.

Metzger, who was 80 and lived in the Nir Oz kibbutz, was last seen alive in December in a video released by Hamas.

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At the time, his son Guy told NBC News that he was “really worried” about his father and that he seemed "very, very tired."

“He looks very sick, also his friends,” the younger Metzger said. “We are really worried about their condition.”

Perry, who was also 80, and lived in the same kibbutz as Metzger, Hagari said.

"Haim was a peace activist," Hagari said. "He believed, he fought, for coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. Haim was a volunteer who used to transport sick children from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Israel."

Cooper, 85, was one of the founders of the Nir Oz kibbutz, Hagari said.

Yehud was initially believed to have been abducted by Hamas, as well. But after having gotten no indication that he was being held in Gaza, the Israelis rechecked the remains of the dead found at the Nir Oz kibbutz and identified Yehud's body, the IDF reported.

His remains were identified by the National Institue of Forensic Medicine and Shura military base, the IDF said.