Israel Confirms Palestinian Groups Returned Body of Thai Hostage From Gaza. Israel has confirmed that the remains of a hostage returned from Gaza through the Red Cross have been identified as those of Thai agricultural worker Suthisak Rintalak. According to Israeli officials, the body was transferred by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, collectively referred to as Palestinian groups involved in holding hostages inside Gaza.
The return of the 43 year old’s body leaves only one more deceased hostage still expected to be handed over under the ongoing ceasefire agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed deep condolences to the Rintalak family, the Thai people, and families of all hostages who lost their lives. The government also reiterated its commitment to recovering the final missing hostage, identified as Israeli police officer Master Sgt Ran Gvili, 24.
Thai Hostage’s Body Returned by Palestinian Groups Amid Gaza Tensions, Israel Says
Suthisak Rintalak came from the town of Rattanawapi in northeastern Thailand. He first arrived in Israel in 2017 through a foreign worker programme and worked on different farms located near the Gaza border. According to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel, he had been working in the orchards of Kibbutz Be’eri when the Hamas led assault on southern Israel took place on 7 October 2023. Authorities say he was killed during the attack, and his body was taken into Gaza by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and held there by the group.
His mother, On, said in an interview with Israeli Army Radio that the family struggled to process the news after being notified that his remains had been recovered by fighters operating in northern Gaza. She said the last two years were filled with grief and uncertainty, and that learning he had died was devastating for the entire family.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog described Rintalak’s captivity as lasting 789 painful days, noting that his family in Thailand had endured unimaginable stress waiting for answers. He added that Rintalak could now be buried with dignity, even as Palestinian groups continued to hold the body of Ran Gvili. Herzog stressed that Israel remained fully committed to securing the return of every hostage still in Gaza.
Thailand’s foreign ministry expressed gratitude to Israel for helping recover the remains of all 31 Thai nationals who were among the 251 people taken hostage during the 7 October attack. Another 39 Thai citizens were among the more than 1,200 people killed that day. Israel launched a major military campaign in Gaza after the assault. According to the Hamas run health ministry in the territory, more than 70,100 people have been killed since the conflict began.
Under the first phase of the US brokered ceasefire, Hamas agreed to return all 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 28 deceased captives including foreign nationals within 72 hours. All surviving hostages were released on 13 October in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza. So far, the remains of 23 Israeli victims and four foreign nationals, including two Thais, have been handed over. In return, Israel has transferred the bodies of 345 Palestinians killed in the war.
The ceasefire remains fragile as both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations. An Israeli air strike on Wednesday killed five Palestinians, including two children, at a camp in the al Mawasi area of southern Gaza. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas fighter after an earlier attack in Rafah injured five Israeli soldiers, while Hamas condemned the strike as a war crime. At the White House, US President Donald Trump said the next stage of his Gaza peace plan, which includes governance arrangements, troop withdrawal, disarmament of Hamas, and reconstruction, would begin soon. He acknowledged recent violence but insisted progress was being made toward a broader Middle East peace.
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Source: BBC
