Israeli and Thai officials said Thursday that remains handed over to Israel by militants in Gaza had been identified as the last Thai hostage taken during the Hamas-led, Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that sparked the war.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was notified by Israeli authorities that the remains of a hostage returned on Wednesday were identified as Sudhisak Rinthalak, a Thai national who was an agricultural worker on a kibbutz.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that Rinthalak’s remains were identified by Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Nikorndej Balankura, the Thai ministry’s spokesperson, said Sudhisak’s family had been notified. He added that Sudhisak was killed on the day of the Oct. 7 attack, and his body was taken into Gaza.
He thanked the Israeli government for its assistance, which led to the release of all Thai hostages.
In all, 20 living hostages and the remains of 27 others have been returned to Israel since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire began in early October. The returns are a key part of the terms of a shaky ceasefire, which has held despite both Hamas and Israel accusing each other of violations.
Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu/Getty
With the return of Rinthalak’s remains, the body of just one hostage is still believed to be in Gaza, that of Ran Gvili, bringing the two sides close to wrapping up the first phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Gvili served in an elite Israeli police unit. After helping people escape from the Nova music festival during the Oct. 7 attack, he was killed fighting at another location and his body was taken to Gaza. The military confirmed his death four months later. He is survived by his parents and a sister.
“The Government and the entire Directorate for the Hostages and the Missing of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return National Counter-Terrorism Unit fighter and hero Master Sgt. Ran Gvili for a proper Jewish burial,” Netanyahu’s office said Thursday.
Since the start of the ceasefire, Israel has released the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for the handover of hostages or their remains. Most of the Palestinian remains have yet to be formally identified.
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