IDF recovers fourth hostage body in overnight operation in Gaza

The Israeli military announced it recovered the body of a fourth hostage from Gaza, a day after it revealed it had retrieved from Rafah the corpses of three others who were kidnapped by Hamas.

Ron Benjamin, 53, was among the roughly 250 people kidnapped by Hamas during its bloody attack on Israel on Oct. 7, IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a press conference, Israeli media reported. 

Hamas terrorists killed Benjamin on Oct. 7 near Kibbutz Mefalsim, in southern Israel, before taking his corpse into Gaza, Hagari said. 

Benjamin’s body was retrieved during an overnight operation in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah, where troops also recovered the bodies of Shani Louk, Amit Bouskila, and Itshak Gelernter, Hagari said. 

Benjamin had set out the morning of Hamas’ harrowing attack for a bike ride with friends near Kibbutz Be’eri, but turned around after hearing sirens, The Times of Israel reported. 

He was last heard from at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, when he called one of his daughters and left a voicemail that he was going home to Rehovot due to the volley of rockets, the outlet reported. 

The IDF said the three other hostages had been killed while fleeing the Nova music festival massacre, where more than 360 Israeli revelers were murdered by terrorists and another 40 kidnapped. The three hostages’ bodies were then taken into Gaza as well. 

Louk’s father, Nissim Louk, said his daughter’s body had been discovered in a cool, deep tunnel and was still in excellent condition when it was brought home.

“That’s why the body is complete and beautiful and the skin is still the same color, you still see the tattoos, it’s amazing. The body we have now…looks like she’s alive,” the grieving father previously said.

Israeli forces are continuing their operations in Rafah — Hamas’ final stronghold in Gaza and where over one million Palestinians sought refuge during the war — to eliminate the terrorist group that killed roughly 1,200 people in its surprise attack on the Jewish state.