Israel-Hamas war: IDF declares 4 Gaza hostages dead

• Israel declares four hostages dead, with around 80 more believed to be left in the Gaza Strip
• Former Israeli leader Ehud Olmert urges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept cease-fire deal and secure the release of remaining hostages
• The US calls on the UN Security Council to pass a resolution in support of a three-phase cease-fire proposal in the war between Israel and Hamas

Here is a roundup of developments from the Israel-Hamas war and the wider Middle East region on Tuesday, June 4.

06/04/2024June 4, 2024

Former Israeli PM tells DW Netanyahu should accept cease-fire deal

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has reiterated his call for the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a cease-fire deal with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Olmert, who led the government of  Israel between 2006 and 2009, told DW in an interview that the current military offensive in Gaza will not help free the remaining hostages.

"We have reached a point where we have achieved most of what we set out to achieve in the military operation in the first place and that we don't need to continue the war," he said.

"We need to stop the war now," he added. "And we have to accept the proposal which was presented by President Biden [...] and that hopefully will bring us to the point where we can make an exchange of all the hostages so that we'll bring them back."

Olmert said Netanyahu is beholden to some of the members of his Cabinet who are strongly in favor of the military operation in Gaza.

"The Israeli prime minister is held, and he's squeezed, perhaps he's extorted, by his political partners that say in the most explicit manner that they will leave the government and they will break down the coalition" if Israel accepts the cease-fire, he said.

Olmert went on to criticize Netanyahu's leadership during the war.

"Netanyahu doesn't think about what's good for Israel, but what's good for Netanyahu," he said. "And it appears that it's not good for Netanyahu to end the war now because he will lose his government."

06/04/2024June 4, 2024

Israel declares 4 more hostages dead

The Israeli army has announced that four of the remaining hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas during the October 7 terror attacks in southern Israel are now dead.

The four men were identified as Chaim Peri, 80, Yoram Metzger, 80, Amiram Cooper, 84, and Nadav Popplewell, 51. Three of them were filmed alive in hostage videos posted earlier by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel's military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the military believes the hostages were killed "a number of months" ago "at the time IDF forces were operating in Khan Younis."

"We are thoroughly examining the circumstances of their deaths and checking all possibilities. We will present soon the findings, first to their families, and then to the public," Hagari said. "We will present them with transparency, as we have done until now."

Hamas claimed last month that Popplewell died after being wounded in an Israeli airstrike. It did not present any evidence for this claim. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, Germany, the EU, the US and other governments.

After the military's announcement, the Israeli grassroots group Hostages Forum called on the government to immediately approve the cease-fire plan outlined by US President Joe Biden last week.

"It is time to end this cycle of sacrifice and neglect," the group wrote in a statement. "Their murder in captivity is a mark of disgrace and a sad reflection on the significance of delaying previous deals."

Around 80 hostages are believed to still be alive in Hamas captivity.

sdi, mf/nm, rmt (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)