Hamas says a British-Israeli hostage has been killed in Gaza just hours after raising family hopes by releasing a video of him still alive.

• Nadav Popplewell, 51, and his brother were killed
• Their mother who was kidnapped has now been released

Cruel Hamas terrorists last night announced that a British-born hostage held in Gaza had been killed – less than three hours after a video appeared to show him alive.

In a sickening stunt, Hamas released the first video showing British-Israeli Nadav Popplewell, 51, visibly bruised and injured over his right eye, speaking to camera to give his name and age.

The chilling 11-second clip ended with a question mark on the screen while ominous music played in the background.

Then, three hours later, the terrorist organization released a new video claiming that Nadav, originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was injured in an IDF airstrike last month before succumbing to his injuries.

It has not been possible to independently verify whether or how Nadav was killed.

But in the chilling footage, blood slowly drips down the screen onto Nadav’s face, while a caption reads: “military pressure = failure and death”.

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Al Qassam spokesman Abu Obaida later confirmed that Popplewell “died of injuries he sustained after Zionist warplanes targeted his place of detention a month ago.”

They claim the same shots killed 70-year-old Judy Feinstein.

This is not the first time that perverse Hamas fighters have teased the fate of hostages in an attempt to torment their families.

In January, Hamas released a propaganda video featuring Noa Argamani, 26, Yossi Sharabi, 51, and Itay Svirsky, 38, with the caption: “What do you think? All killed? Some killed, others injured? Still alive. Tonight we will inform you of their fate.

It was eventually revealed that Noa Argamani was still alive, but the other two men had been killed.

Early in the war, Hamas threatened to execute hostages in response to IDF airstrikes.

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Israel views all hostage videos as a form of psychological warfare and torture and does not comment on them.

A spokesman for the Forum for Hostages and Missing Families – a group representing the interests of hostage families – said: “Every sign of life received from the hostages held by Hamas is another cry of distress to the Israeli government and its leaders .

“We don’t have a spare moment!

“You must strive to implement an agreement that brings everyone back today – the living to rehabilitation and the slain to burial.”

This latest video comes days after the Israeli Defense Forces launched their military offensive in the southern city of Rafah, where an estimated one million Palestinians who have been forced from their homes are currently sheltering.

Several failed attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and hostage exchange followed.

Hen Mazzig, a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute, an online hate research center, said: “It’s appalling to see the brutality and inhumanity of Hamas.

“It is a reminder of Hamas’ war crimes and violations of countless international laws: kidnapping, brutalizing, not providing information about hostages, playing with their lives and cynically harmonizing the pain of families and Israelis.”

Nadav’s elderly mother, Channah Peri, 79, was released from Gaza on November 24 as part of a temporary ceasefire deal brokered by Qatar.

She was abducted in her pajamas from her home in Kibbutz Nirim with her son.

The terrorists who broke into her home took photos of the frightened pair and sent them to Ayelet Svatitsky, (Channah’s daughter, Nadav’s sister) with the one-word caption ‘Hamas’.

Nadav’s brother, father-of-two Roi Popplewell, 54, was shot and killed behind his home on October 7, when more than a thousand Palestinian militants invaded Israel.

In January, Nadav’s sister, mother-of-three Ayelet Svatitzky, 46, exclusively told MailOnline that their mother “will not survive” if she is forced to bury another son.

She said, “My mother needs to see her son (Nadav) again and I want to see my brother again.”

“My mother is very strong, but I worry that she will not survive burying another son.

“She cannot begin to recover from her trauma until Nadav is home and safe.”

Nadav has diabetes and asthma and requires urgent medication.

According to Israel, 132 hostages remain trapped in Gaza, including women and children.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said: “We are urgently seeking more information following the release of this video. Our thoughts are with his family at this extremely painful time.

“The UK government has been working with partners in the region to secure the release of the hostages, including British citizens. We will continue to do everything we can to secure the release of the hostages.