IDF recovers body of Ron Benjamin, who was killed Oct. 7 and remains taken to Gaza
The 52-year-old Rehovot resident was slain by Hamas near Mefalsim; remains returned in an IDF operation May 16, 2023
On May 18, 2024, the IDF revealed that troops had recovered the body of Ron Benjamin from the Gaza Strip and brought him back to Israel for burial. This is what we know of the events that led to his murder by Hamas on October 7:
Ron Benjamin, 52, was last heard from at 7:30 a.m. on October 7, when he left a voice message for one of his two daughters, then traveling abroad, telling her he was heading home to Rehovot from a planned group bike ride near the Gaza border, given the cascade of rockets.
That morning, Benjamin set out at 6:30 a.m. to meet up with friends for a bike ride near Kibbutz Be’eri. When he heard the sirens, he decided to turn around and head home. He spoke with his wife, Ayelet, and left a message for his daughter.
Benjamin never returned home.
The family has been told by the army to prepare themselves for the fact that they may never find out what happened to Ron, who was initially considered “missing,” and not a hostage in Gaza.
“He’s not showing up anywhere,” said his older brother, Shuki Benjamin, in an interview with Ynet. “There are no signs that he was killed.”
Older brother Shuki Benjamin went to find Ron’s car, which was found on the side of the road, shot up. The driver’s side was not shot, however, although the windows were broken.
“It looks like he left that car alive,” said Shuki.
On December 2, the family was notified by the IDF that Benjamin was indeed a hostage in Gaza.
