The bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, Yoram Metzger, Haim Perry, and British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell were found in the Khan Younis area on Monday, according to a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Israel had already declared the deaths of five of them, but Avraham Munder was believed to be alive.
The IDF and the security organization Shin Bet worked together to complete the recovery operation.
According to the Hostage Families Forum, the six men had all been abducted alive during Hamas’s attacks on southern Israel on October 7 and were then transported to Gaza.
It stated in a statement that the families had received “necessary closure” with the retrieval of the dead and that the release of the 109 hostages who were still in Gaza “can only be achieved through a negotiated deal.”
The Israeli government was urged to “do everything in its power to finalize the deal currently on the table” by the group.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in the Middle East, pressuring for an agreement on the long-desired ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Following their meeting in Tel Aviv on Monday, Mr. Blinken stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted a US “bridging proposal” for a resolution.
In the past, Hamas asserted that Mr. Popplewell passed away from injuries he received during an Israeli bombardment.
