Israel says it has found the body of a Thai hostage who was kidnapped and taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023.
On Saturday, the prime minister's press office announced that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta had been returned to Israel as a result of a special military operation.
The statement comes amid Israel's ongoing military offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The Israeli government confirmed that Mr Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity shortly before the war began.
The announcement came two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were recovered. There are still 55 hostages in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead.
Israel's defense minister said on Saturday that Mr. Pinta's body was found in the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture.
The army said he was taken to Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, a small armed group that it also said kidnapped and killed Shiri Bibas and her two young children. It is the same group that took two Israeli-American hostages, Judy Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were found by the army on Thursday.
Israel said it discovered Mr Pinta's body based on information from a special hostage rescue team and military intelligence.
In a statement, the Hostages Forum, which supports the hostages, said it supported Mr Pinta's family and shared their grief. It called for the return of the remaining hostages and a dignified burial for those who died.
Thais were the largest group of foreigners held by Hamas militants. Many Thai farm workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants captured these places first. According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, 46 Thais were killed in the conflict.
Before Mr. Pinta's body was found, three Thai hostages remained in captivity, two of whom were confirmed dead. Mr. Pinta's fate remained uncertain until Saturday, according to a hostage forum.
The recovery of Mr Pinta's body comes as Israel's military campaign in Gaza continues. Hospital officials said they received the bodies of nearly two dozen people on Saturday.
Four strikes
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
