The Israeli army announced that it had recovered the body of a fourth hostage in Gaza, a day after revealing that it had recovered the bodies of three other people kidnapped by Hamas in Rafah.
Ron Benjamin, 53, was among about 250 people kidnapped by Hamas during its bloody attack on Israel on October 7, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a news conference. Israeli media reported.
Hamas terrorists killed Benjamin on October 7 near Kibbutz Mefalsim in southern Israel before taking his body to Gaza, Hagari said.
Benjamin’s body was recovered during an overnight operation in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town, where troops also recovered the bodies of Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila and Itshak Gelernter, Hagari said.
Benjamin had left on the morning of the harrowing Hamas attack for a bike ride with friends near Kibbutz Beeri, but turned back after hearing the sirens, the Times of Israel reported.
He was last heard from at 7:30 a.m. on October 7, when he called one of his daughters and left a voicemail saying he was returning home to Rehovot due to the volley of rockets, reported The media.
The Israeli military said the other three hostages were killed while fleeing the massacre at the Nova music festival, where more than 360 Israeli revelers were murdered by terrorists and 40 others kidnapped. The bodies of the three hostages were then also transported to Gaza.
Louk’s father, Nissim Louk, said his daughter’s body was discovered in a cool, deep tunnel and was still in excellent condition when brought home.
“That’s why the body is complete and beautiful and the skin is always the same color, you always see the tattoos, it’s incredible. The body we have now… it looks like she’s alive,” the grieving father previously said.
Israeli forces are continuing their operations in Rafah – Hamas’ last bastion in Gaza and where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge during the war – to eliminate the terrorist group which killed around 1,200 people in its surprise attack on the Jewish State.
New York Post
