Israel said it has recovered the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, as it continues its military offensive in the strip that Palestinian health officials say killed at least 22 people overnight, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The Prime Minister's office said today that the body of Thai citizen Nataphong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation.
Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity shortly after the war began, the government said.
This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-Americans were returned hostages. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, more than half of whom Israel says are dead.
The defense minister said today that Pinta's body had been recovered from the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture.
The army said he had been taken to Gaza by the "Mujahideen" Brigades, a small armed group that is said to have kidnapped and killed Shiri Bibas and her two young children. This is the same group that took the two Israeli-American hostages, Yudich Weinstein and Gad Hagai, whose bodies were handed over to the Israeli army on Thursday.
Israel said it found Pinta's body based on information received from its hostage task force and military intelligence.
The Thais are the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants, the AP notes. Many of the Thai farm workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants first took over those areas. According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, a total of 46 Thais were killed during the conflict.