Israel Confirms Identity of Hostage Body Returned from Gaza as Thai Agricultural Worker
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Wednesday the body received via the Red Cross is that of Suthisak Rintalak, a 43-year-old Thai agricultural worker. Rintalak was one of the last two deceased hostages remaining in Gaza. The body of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, remains in Gaza.
The handover followed a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) military wing, claiming they had located a hostage’s body in northern Gaza.Prior to this, tests on remains received from Hamas on Tuesday showed they did not belong to either Rintalak or Gvili.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) notified Rintalak’s family and expressed condolences. The IDF stated they will continue efforts to secure the return of Gvili’s body, urging Hamas to “make the necessary efforts” for its release.
Israeli authorities are coordinating with the Thai embassy to return Rintalak’s remains to Thailand.
Both Rintalak and Gvili were reportedly killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, with their bodies subsequently taken to Gaza.
Under the initial phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal that began on november 24, 2023, Hamas agreed to release all 20 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of the 28 deceased Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza within 72 hours. All living hostages were released by November 30, 2023, in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza.
To date,the remains of 23 Israeli hostages and four foreign hostages – two Thai,one Nepalese,and one Tanzanian – have been returned. Israel has, in turn, handed over the bodies of 345 Palestinians killed during the conflict.
Israel has accused Hamas of deliberately delaying the recovery of hostage bodies, while Hamas maintains it is indeed facing difficulties locating them amidst the rubble.
the slow pace of hostage recovery has stalled progress on the second phase of a potential Gaza peace plan, which includes discussions on governance, Israeli troop withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and reconstruction.
The deceased hostages were among the approximately 251 people abducted by Hamas and its allies on October 7, 2023, during an attack that resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths in Israel.
Israel’s subsequent military campaign in gaza has, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, resulted in over 70,100 Palestinian deaths.
