Body of fourth hostage recovered in Gaza, Israeli army says

Officials with Israel’s military on Saturday said that its forces recovered the body of a hostage -- the fourth in two days -- who was seized by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

>> Read more trending news

Military officials identified the man as Ron Binyamin, who was among 252 people seized by Hamas-led Palestinian gunmen, USA Today reported. Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Binyamin was found along with three other slain hostages whose repatriation was announced on Friday. Citing intelligence information, the military said all had been killed on Oct. 7.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas, NBC News reported.

The bodies of the other three hostages -- Shani Louk, 23, Amit Buskila, 28, and Yitzhak Gelernter, 57 -- were identified by Israeli military officials on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

The three victims were attacked by Hamas militants while they attended the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, the news organization reported.

All four bodies were identified by authorities and the families have been informed, Hagari said. He added that the bodies had been transferred to medical professionals for forensic examination, CNN reported.

In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the deaths “heartbreaking.”

“We will return all of our hostages, both the living and the dead,” Netanyahu said.

Of the hostages, only Louk had previously been confirmed dead by the Israeli government, according to CNN.

© 2024 Cox Media Group