Israel army says body of one hostage retrieved from Gaza
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The body of hostage Ron Benjamin was recovered in the same operation, announced on May 17, that saw Israeli troops retrieve the remains of Yitzhak Gelerenter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila.
PHOTO: X/@ISRAEL
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JERUSALEM - The Israeli army said on May 18 that troops had retrieved the body of hostage Ron Benjamin from the war-torn Gaza Strip after he was “murdered” during the Oct 7 attack
Military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Benjamin’s body was recovered in the same operation that saw troops retrieve the remains of three other hostages, which was announced on May 17.
Benjamin was “murdered during the Oct 7 massacre at the Mefalsim intersection, and his body was abducted to Gaza by Hamas militants,” the military said, in a separate statement.
“His body was rescued along with the bodies of Yitzhak Gelerenter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila... based on precise intelligence obtained during the interrogations of terrorists who were apprehended in the Gaza Strip.”
The military said on May 17 that troops had recovered the bodies of Louk, Buskila and Gelerenter from Gaza
Thousands of young people had gathered on Oct 6 and 7 to dance to electronic music at the event, which was held near Re’im kibbutz close to the Gaza border.
Fighters from Hamas crossed over from Gaza and killed more than 360 people
The Nova festival victims accounted for nearly a third of the more than 1,170 people killed in the Oct 7 attack, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Out of the 252 people taken hostage that day, 124 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 37 the army says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 35,386 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.
On May 18, campaign group The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on the Israeli authorities to strike a deal with Hamas to bring back the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
“Those alive should be returned for rehabilitation, and those murdered should be brought back for a dignified burial, as was made possible for Ron Benjamin this evening,” the group said in a statement. AFP
