Bodies of six Israeli hostages recovered from Khan Younis

Efforts to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire continue

Israeli forces retrieved the bodies of six hostages from Gaza, one of whom had been believed to be alive until now, on Tuesday.
Yoram Metzger, 80, Chaim Peri, also 80, 76-year-old Alexander Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and 51-year-old Nadav Popplewell had all been declared to have been killed in captivity earlier this year. Avraham Munder, 79, was believed to have been still alive until now.
The Hostages Families Forum said Mr Munder was captured alive and endured “agonising captivity alongside his loved ones”.
“He should have returned home alive to his family. His murder in captivity underscores the delay in implementing the deal that could have saved his life and the lives of other hostages,” the forum added.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the bodies were uncovered in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, by IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency forces.
The rescue operation came as efforts to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel on a ceasefire continued, with Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, saying that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, had “confirmed” that Israel supports the “bridging proposal” presented by Washington following a two-day summit in Cairo last week.
“The next important step is for Hamas to say yes,” said Mr Blinken.
Joe Biden, the US president, also commented on the fragile ceasefire talks as he addressed the Democratic National Convention, saying: “It’s still in play, but you can’t predict. Israel says they can work it out… Hamas is now backing away.”
Hamas has criticised the ceasefire talks and Washington’s attempt to bridge the gaps, saying their proposal “raises many ambiguities” because it is not what was presented to Hamas “nor what we agreed on”.
“We don’t need new Gaza ceasefire negotiations, we need to agree on an implementation mechanism,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, told Reuters.
The issue of who should control the Philadelphi Corridor, a buffer zone separating Gaza from Egypt, is seen as one of the main sticking points in the ceasefire talks, with Israel insisting it keep control.
Middle East Eye cited three senior Egyptians as saying Cairo has agreed to allow Israel to maintain control of the corridor in exchange for the reopening of the Rafah border crossing, which will be operated by the Palestinians. Israel has yet to comment on the report.
The 51-year-old British-Israeli citizen was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim along with Channah, his 79-year-old mother, on Oct 7. 
He was declared killed in captivity in June. Channah was released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November.
On Nov 5, Hamas released a propaganda video of Mr Popplewell with a visible black eye.Kibbutz Nirim described him as a “family man of distinction and a generous friend, a lover of books and science fiction”.
Mr Munder, 79, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct7 along with Ruth, his wife, Karen, their daughter, and Ohad, his grandson.He lived for more than 50 years in the Kibbutz, which described him as a “legendary” warehouse manager at the Nirlat paint factory and a “beloved kibbutz member, hardworking, loyal, and a talented singer in the Eshkol choir”.Ruth, Karen and Ohad were released in a hostage deal in November last year. “Abraham was captured alive and endured agonising captivity alongside his loved ones,” the Kibbutz said in a statement on Tuesday.Ohad told broadcaster Kan that all the hostages could have “returned alive, even on the first day. They could have brought back grandpa and the other hostages. 
“I came back alive but there are hostages who were rescued but not alive, like grandpa.”
The 80-year-old was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz with his wife Tami on Oct 7. She was released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in November last year.
Israel declared Mr Metzger killed in captivity on June 3 this year. Along with his wife, he leaves behind three children and seven grandchildren.
Mr Metzger worked at the Nirlat paint factory and, in recent years, in the kibbutz’s garage. He was also a member of the kibbutz winery.
“Yoram will be remembered in all our hearts as a pleasant and smiling man who always made everyone feel instantly at home,” the Kibbutz said in a statement.
Mr Peri, 80, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7 and declared killed in captivity on June 3.Kibbutz Nir Oz described him as a “peace activist” and “an entrepreneur”.
He managed to save Osnat, his wife, before he was abducted.
Mr Peri served as a paratrooper in the IDF, and later declared his life to peace activism, volunteering to bring sick children from Gaza to Israel for medical treatment.
“He survived under inhumane conditions in Hamas tunnels for months until he was brutally murdered in captivity,” the Kibbutz said.
Mr Peri leaves behind him a wife, five children and 13 grandchildren.
Mr Dancyg, 76, was kidnapped from his bed in Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct 7. The IDF announced last month that he had been killed several months ago while in captivity.
Born in Warsaw in 1948 to two Holocaust survivors, Mr Dancyg moved to Israel with his family when he was nine. 
He later became a history teacher and helped the education ministry in Israel train guides for teenagers going to Poland to learn about the Holocaust.Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum issued a statement after his death, saying he was a scholar and an “esteemed expert on Polish culture and on the complex historical relations between the two peoples”.
Mr Dancyg’s grandchild, 22-year-old Eliya, told Haaretz that he experienced war for 20 years, “not just on October 7 and he still always had hope that peace would arrive”.
The 35-year-old and Rimon, his wife, were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nirim on Oct 7. Rimon was later released as part of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas but the IDF announced last month that Mr Buchstab was killed in captivity.
He studied sound design and played the flute and cello. 
Rimon wrote a message to him on Facebook in March for the couple’s anniversary, saying: “Another day will go by without you? How has it been over 100 days since I hugged you? Two months of not kissing you? Thank you for teaching me love, acceptance, the power of perfection and dedication. Thanks for keeping me together, even from afar. Thanks for not giving up – neither am I.”