Israel confirmed on Monday that four more hostages had died in Gaza, as pressure grows for a deal to end the war in the coastal strip and release all detainees.
The Israeli military identified the hostages as Haim Perry, 79; Yoram Metzger, 80; Amiram Cooper, 85; and Nadav Popplewell, 51, and said their families have been notified.
Perry, Metzger and Cooper appeared in a December video released by Hamas.
Israel said the bodies of the four hostages were still held by Hamas in Gaza, but that Israel confirmed their deaths through intelligence and a committee of Health Ministry experts.
The circumstances of their deaths are still under investigation, the military said.
The war between Israel and Hamas is approaching the eight-month mark. An agreement to release the hostages and reach a ceasefire in Gaza did not materialize. President Biden, however, last week announced a three-part proposal that would allow for the release of the hostages and an end to the war.
About 130 hostages remain in Gaza, but it is unclear how many are still alive. Hamas took around 240 hostages on October 7 when fighters invaded southern Israel and killed around 1,200 people.
Last month, Israeli forces found the bodies of 22-year-old German-Israeli Shani Louk, 28-year-old Amit Buskila and 56-year-old Itzhak Gelerenter.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure at home to take the hostages home. He also faces international pressure to end the war against Hamas, as more than 36,000 Palestinians have died.
Last month, an Israeli attack on a refugee camp in Rafah sparked outrage after it sparked a fire, killing at least 45 people, most of them women and children.
Israel began moving its forces to the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians were taking refuge from the war, but have now fled to other parts of Gaza. Israel says Hamas is hiding battalions in Rafah.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
