JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said on Saturday that troops recovered the body of war-torn Gaza hostage Ron Benjamin after he was ” murdered ” during an October 7 attack by Hamas.
Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Benjamin’s body was found in the same operation in which troops recovered the remains of three other hostages, as reported on Friday.
The Israeli military said in a separate statement that Benjamin was “murdered during the October 7 massacre at the Mefalsim intersection and his body was taken to Gaza by Hamas militants.”
It further stated that Benjamin’s body was retrieved along with the bodies of Yitzchak Gelerenter, Shani Louka and Amit Buskila based on accurate information obtained during interrogations of “terrorists” who were detained in the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, the military said troops recovered the bodies of Louka, Buskila and Gelerenter from Gaza after they were taken hostage during the attack on the Nova music festival.
Thousands of young people gathered on October 6 and 7 to dance to electronic music at an event held near Kibbutz Re’im near the Gaza border.
Hamas fighters crossed over from Gaza and killed more than 360 people at the festival, Israeli officials said.
Later on Saturday, thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv, calling on the authorities to bring the remaining hostages back home.
The gathering was also attended by the US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew and some other international envoys.
Among the protesters were relatives of several hostages still being held.
“Hamas must release the hostages so that this crisis can end and we can focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region,” Lew said.
