Israeli forces recover another hostage's body from Gaza, a day after retrieving three
May 19, 2024
Tel Aviv [Israel], May 19 : A day after the bodies of three Israelis held hostage by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces retrieved the body of another hostage from the war-torn region on Saturday, The Times of Israel reported, citing Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
In a press conference, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said that the military recovered the body of another hostage from the Gaza Strip after announcing yesterday that three slain captives were returned on a special mission.
The hostage whose body was recovered on Saturday was identified as 53-year-old Ron Benjamin, who was abducted by Hamas on the morning of October 7.
Hagari said Benjamin was killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7 near Mefalsim, and his body was taken hostage to Gaza.
IDF announced it had recovered his remains in an overnight operation.
"His body was recovered alongside those of Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk in the Thursday night operation," Hagari said.
The Times of Israel reported that Benjamin was last heard from at 7:30 am on October 7, when he left a voice message for one of his two daughters, then travelling abroad, telling her he was heading home to Rehovot from a planned group bike ride near the Gaza border, given the cascade of rockets.
That morning, Benjamin had set out at 6:30 am to meet up with friends for a bike ride near Kibbutz Beeri. When he heard the sirens, he decided to turn around and head home. He spoke with his wife, Ayelet, and left a message for his daughter.
On Friday, IDF recovered bodies of three hostages from the war-torn Gaza Strip amid intense fighting raging between Israeli forces and Hamas, The Times of Israel reported. The three were identified as Itzhak Gelerenter, Amit Buskila, and Shani Louk.
In a press statement, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the bodies were recovered in an overnight operation carried out by the military and Shin Bet.
The three were at the Supernova music festival near Re'im on the morning of the Hamas-led October 7 onslaught, where they then fled to the Mefalsim area.
Hagari said they were killed there by Hamas terrorists, and their bodies were then kidnapped to Gaza.
Until recently, both Gelerenter and Buskila were presumed to be alive, while Louk was confirmed dead in late October after a piece of her skull was identified following widely shared footage of terrorists kidnapping her, The Times of Israel reported.
