October 7 · Personal story
Ron Benjamin
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Near Mefalsim
Current outcome
Returned for burial · May 17, 2024
His body was returned to Israel for burial on 17 May 2024.
01
Life before
Ron Benjamin was born in 1970 and grew up in Rehovot. His official memorial recalls a child who loved landscapes and nature. After military service he joined Champion Motors, where he managed service for vehicle fleets and grew into a respected colleague. He met Ayelet Posner at work; they married and raised Shai and Gil. Ayelet recalled that he was shy and waited weeks before asking for her phone number. Family members remembered him as an involved father who picked his daughters up from kindergarten, played with them and stayed close as they grew older. He loved family trips in Israel and abroad, the sea, music, concerts and playing drums. He began mountain biking in 2020 and made Saturday rides a regular part of his life. His daughter called him a full-time father and her best friend; after the sisters left home, he kept calling to hear how they were.
02
Abduction
On 7 October 2023, Ron left before dawn for a mountain-bike ride near Be’eri. He planned to meet other riders at the kibbutz entrance. When alerts began, he turned toward home and sent his daughter a voice message saying he was on his way back. The National Insurance Institute records that he was killed near Mefalsim and his body taken to Gaza. He was killed that day; he was not alive in captivity.
03
Captivity
The family did not know Ron’s fate for weeks. His official memorial says he was listed missing before the family was notified of his abduction. Later identification established that he had been killed on 7 October. Israeli forces recovered his remains in Gaza in May 2024.
04
Return
Israeli forces recovered Ron’s body in Gaza on 17 May 2024 and returned it to Israel. The official memorial records that date for the return. He was buried in Kibbutz Palmahim on 20 May. At the seaside funeral, singer Roni Dalumi performed and cyclists accompanied the procession. His family had waited more than seven months to bring him home for burial.
05
Aftermath
Ron was buried in Palmahim on 20 May 2024. Ayelet and their daughters mourned him at the seaside funeral, where Roni Dalumi sang and cyclists accompanied the procession. Loved ones placed a metal bicycle and rider on his grave. His memorial also records a flower-shaped marker where his car was found and a mural in Rehovot. He loved cycling, the sea, music, travel and family; the Saturday rides he began in 2020 became central to his last morning.