Four more hostages kidnapped on October 7 were declared dead by the Israeli military — including three older men seen in a Hamas video begging to be released.
Monday’s announcement heightens pressure on the Israeli government to agree to a US ceasefire proposal that could secure the return of the hostages still held in Gaza and end the eight-month war.
About 80 hostages in Gaza are believed to be alive, alongside the remains of 43 others.
In the days since President Joe Biden announced the ceasefire proposal on Friday, Israel has seen some of its largest protests calling on the government to bring them home.
Although Mr Biden said the proposal was Israeli, the Israeli leadership has appeared to distance itself from the plan, vowing to keep conducting military operations against Hamas until the militant group is destroyed.
All four of the men declared dead Monday night were kidnapped and taken into Gaza still alive, according to the Hostages Forum, a grassroots group representing the families of the hostages.
“It is time to end this cycle of sacrifice and neglect,” the group said following the announcement.
“Their murder in captivity is a mark of disgrace and a sad reflection on the significance of delaying previous deals.”
The group called on the government to immediately approve the new ceasefire plan.
Hundreds of people, including relatives of the captives, gathered outside Israel’s Defence Ministry and military headquarters in central Tel Aviv on Monday, calling for a deal. Smaller protests took place across the country.
About 100 captives were released during a week-long exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in November.
Three of the men declared dead Monday had female relatives who were released during the exchange.
Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the four hostages were killed while they were together, during the army’s operation in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
He said the four were killed months ago, but that recent operations allowed the military to gather enough intelligence to confirm the deaths.
Their bodies are still being held by Hamas, and the cause of death was not immediately known.
Hamas claimed in May that the fourth hostage pronounced deceased died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike, but provided no evidence.
“We are checking all of the options. There are a lot of questions,” Rear Adm Hagari said.
Three of the hostages were all aged 80 or older. They appeared in a video in December released by Hamas under the title, “Don’t let us grow old here”. In the video, the three men appear gaunt, wearing thin white T-shirts.
“We are the generation who built the foundation for the state of Israel,” one said, noting that all the men had chronic illnesses. “We do not understand why we have been abandoned here.”
Israeli bombardments and ground operations in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Israel has been expanding its offensive in the southern city of Rafah, once the main hub of humanitarian aid operations. The Israeli invasion of Rafah has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians facing widespread hunger.
