British Jews, officials pay tribute to slain Hamas hostage Popplewell

British Jews and officials mourned the loss of Nadav Popplewell on Tuesday after the IDF announced that they had recovered the Israeli-British citizen's body along with five other hostages murdered in Hamas captivity. 

The Board of Deputies of British Jews offered its sympathies to the families, making special mention of 51-year-old Nirim resident Popplewell, who the IDF in June had determined to have been killed while a prisoner of the terrorist organization. 

"We hope and pray for the safe deliverance of the hostages still in Hamas’s clutches after more than 10 months," Board of Deputies senior vice-president Adrian Cohen said in a statement. 

British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters said that he was saddened by the news of the recovery of the hostage's bodies and offered condolences to the families. 

"The suffering has gone on far too long," Walters said on social media. "Now is the time for a deal, for the hostages to be returned and for the fighting to stop."

May their memories be a blessing

Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, said on X that the news was heartbreaking and that the memory of the six hostages should be a blessing. 

The Israeli embassy noted that Popplewell's sister Ayelet Svatitzky had recently spoken to Sky News about her family's ordeal. Their mother Channah Peri, 79, was taken hostage and released in November as part of a ceasefire deal. Popplewell's brother Roi Popplewell, 53, was murdered by Hamas in Nirim on October 7.