Channah Peri, 79 released; son Nadav Popplewell killed while captive in Gaza
On Oct. 7, Hamas sent family an image of South African-citizen mother and UK-citizen son in her Kibbutz Nirim living room
Channah Peri was released on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar and the United States between Hamas and Israel. This is the story of her capture and that of her son, Nadav Popplewell, who was killed while held hostage, according to a June 3, 2024, announcement by the IDF:
On October 7, writer Ayelet Svatitzky called her 79-year-old mother, Channah Peri, to warn her that terrorists had infiltrated Kibbutz Nirim, where she grew up and her mother still lives.
Peri rushed to her safe room but quickly realized the door couldn’t be locked, according to several media accounts.
Ayelet heard a man’s voice in the background, speaking English with an Arabic accent. She hung up and called her brother Nadav, whose house is near their mother’s home, to warn him.
As she warned him to lock his doors and hide, she heard Arab-speaking voices in the background.
The next communication Ayelet had with her family was a photo sent from her mother’s phone, showing South African veteran immigrant Channah Peri in her pajamas, standing alongside Nadav in her living room. The text message read, “Hamas.”
Ayelet later found out that her older brother, Roi Popplewell, 54, was shot and killed behind his Nirim home.
According to the BBC, a third picture was later posted on Channah Peri’s Facebook page, showing her with her other son Nadav and an armed Hamas gunman in the corner.
Ayelet told the BBC that her mother has diabetes and uses insulin daily as does Nadav, who takes pills for his condition.
Ayelet and her brothers are all British citizens. The family originally came from Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
