O The body of Ron Benjamin, 53, was found along with the bodies of three hostages – Shani Louk, Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter – whose repatriation was announced on Friday, said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
The same source indicated that the bodies of these hostages were recovered “during a joint operation by the army and the intelligence agency” based on information obtained, in particular, “during the interrogation of terrorists detained in the Gaza Strip”.
The spokesperson explained, and according to information verified by the Israeli military authorities, “Ron Benjamin was murdered (…) on October 7th” and “his body was taken to Gaza” by Hamas.
“After the identification procedure carried out (…) at the Israeli National Institute of Legal Medicine”, the army “informed his family today”, added the spokesperson.
Ending Shabbat with heartbreaking
newsThe IDF and ISA rescued the body of hostage Ron Benjamin in a special operation.
Based on verified intelligence, Ron was murdered on October 7, at the Mefsalim intersection and his body was kidnapped to Gaza by Hamas terrorists.… pic.twitter.com/DdgP6wu99e
— Israel Israel (@Israel) May 18, 2024
On the morning of October 7, 2023, the day of the Hamas attack in southern Israel, Ron Benjamin had planned a bike ride near the border with the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli left home at around 6:30 am to join friends at Kibbutz Beeri, but returned home when he heard sirens.
After calling his wife Ayalet, he left a voice message at 7:30 am on the cell phone of one of his daughters, who was abroad, which was his last contact with the family.
Older brother Shuki found Ron’s car full of bullets on the side of the road.
Of the 252 people taken hostage by Hamas during the October attack, 124 remain detained in Gaza, 37 of whom have died, according to the Israeli army.
“The sacred mission of repatriating the body” of Ron Benjamin “will allow his family to grant him eternal rest in the land of Israel,” the Hostage Families Forum, the main family association, said in a press release.
The same forum argued that “the Israeli Government must focus on the only mission that matters, which is to send negotiation teams tonight and fight for the return (of the hostages), the living and the dead”.
The Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip caused more than 35,000 deaths and nearly 80,000 injuries in seven months, according to data from the enclave’s Ministry of Health, controlled by Hamas since 2007.
The current conflict was triggered by an unprecedented attack by Hamas in southern Israel, on October 7, 2023, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israeli retaliation is causing a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more than 1.1 million people in a “situation of catastrophic hunger” that is already claiming victims – “the highest number ever recorded” by the UN in studies on food security in the world.
Also Read: IDF recovers bodies of three hostages, including Israeli-German Shani Louk
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2563689/exercito-israelita-anuncia-repatriamento-de-outro-corpo-recuperado-em-gaza
