JERUSALEM, May 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - The Israeli army said Saturday that
troops had retrieved the body of hostage Ron Benjamin from the war-torn Gaza
Strip after he was "murdered" during the October 7 Hamas attack.

Military spokesman Rear Admiral 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 Friday.

Benjamin was "murdered during the October 7th 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 Friday troops had recovered the bodies of Louk, Buskila
and Gelerenter from Gaza after they were taken hostage during the attack on
the Nova music festival.

Thousands of young people had gathered on October 6 and 7 to dance to
electronic music at the event held near Re'im kibbutz close to the Gaza
border.

Fighters from Hamas crossed over from Gaza and killed more than 360 people at
the festival, Israeli officials have said.

The Nova festival victims accounted for nearly a third of the more than 1,170
people killed in the October 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.

- 'Hostages returning in body bags' -

On Saturday, 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.

"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.

Later Saturday, thousands of protesters rallied in Tel Aviv calling on the
authorities to bring the remaining hostages back home.

The rally was also attended by US ambassador to Israel Jack Lew and some
other international envoys.

The protesters included relatives of several hostages still being held, an
AFP correspondent reported.

"As days go, we see more and more hostages are returning in body bags and
more soldiers are being killed in Gaza," said Yotam Cohen, whose brother
Nimrod is captive in Gaza.

"We want to stop the bloodshed."

Zahiro Shahar Mor, nephew of hostage Avraham Munder, said: "This war should
not have started. This war is a war of revenge.

"It is endangering not only the people of Gaza but also the hostages."

Addressing the rally, Lew reiterated Washington's commitment to help secure
the hostages' release.

"We will not stop working until you are reunited with your loved ones. The
United States continues to press ahead mediation efforts to bring the
hostages home," he said.

"Hamas must release the hostages so this crisis can end, and we can focus our
efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region," Lew said.