Israeli army recovers body of Thai hostage
According to Israel's military, the body of a Thai hostage has been recovered during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. The mortal remains of Nattapong Pinta were found in a joint special operation by the military and the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet near Rafah in the south of the embattled coastal area and then brought to Israel, the army announced on Telegram.
07.06.2025, 17:23
SDA
According to the army, Pinta had been abducted alive on October 7, 2023 from the kibbutz Nir Oz on the border with the Gaza Strip to the coastal strip. However, he was killed while being held hostage by members of the Palestinian Mujahideen Brigades, it added.
The rescue was possible thanks to "precise intelligence information". The family was informed after a forensic identification, the army said. The Forum of Hostage Families said: "We stand with Nattapong's family today and share in their grief. Although the pain is immeasurable, his family will finally have certainty after 20 terrible and agonizing months of devastating uncertainty."
It was unclear until the end whether Pinta was still alive
Pinta worked as a harvest worker in the kibbutz Nir Oz until the devastating Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli media reports, his family is currently in Thailand. Of all the hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, Thais made up the largest group after people with Israeli citizenship. It was not clear until the end whether Pinta was still alive.
There are still many hostages in the Gaza Strip. The Forum of Hostage Families called on the Israeli government to "do everything necessary to reach an agreement that will bring back all 55 remaining hostages". Each family of those still being held "deserves certainty in order to begin their personal healing process", the forum continued.
Just two days ago, the military recovered the bodies of two US-Israeli hostages from the coastal area. They were Gadi Chagai and Judy Weinstein Chagai, also from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their remains were recovered in the area of Chan Junis in southern Gaza.
