The Israeli army says troops have 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 on Saturday local time said Mr Benjamin’s body was recovered in the same operation that saw troops retrieve the remains of three other hostages, which was announced on Friday.

Mr 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.

Identification was carried out on Mr Benjamin’s body and his family have been informed, according to the statement. 

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Mr Benjamin, 53, was a “family man” and a father of two, who loved cycling, travelling and music. 

“He used to go out for a ride every Saturday, just as he did on that fateful Saturday when he was taken hostage from the Kibbutz Be’eri area while on a cycling trip,” it said in a statement on X.

Mr Benjamin’s body was recovered along with Yitzhak Gelerenter, Shani Louk, and Amit Buskila, based on “precise intelligence obtained during the interrogations of terrorists who were apprehended in the Gaza Strip”, according to Israeli military. 

The military said on Friday troops had recovered the bodies of Ms Louk, Ms Buskila and Mr 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.