The body of the Thai hostage restored by Gaza, says Israel

Israel extracted the body of a Thai national taken as a hostage during an attack led by Hamas in October 2023, said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

He said Natapong Pinta’s body was extracted during a special operation in the Rafa area in South Gaza on Friday. The 35-year-old worked as a worker at agriculture in South Israel when he was abducted.

Natapong was probably killed in his first months of captivity, an Israeli military official said. Before the operation, it was not known whether he was dead or alive.

This comes after the Israeli army restored the bodies of two Israeli Americans in Gaza earlier this week.

Natapong was the married father of a young son, the military official said. He worked at Kibbutz Nir Oz to support his family in Thailand when he was captured by a belligerent group called Mujahid’s brigades.

The Israeli Defense Forces said in a statement that the mission to restore his body was started after information from the interrogation of a “captivated terrorist”.

After reporting his recovery on Saturday, the BBC tried to contact the wife of G -n Natapong. She did not answer the call, but sent a message with a photo of her son crying.

Forum Forum Forum Forum Forum Campaign said the recovery comes after “20 terrible and agonizing months of devastating uncertainty.”

The group called on the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas to release other captives.

G -n Nattapong is the last remaining national Thai national abducted during the attack on October 7, 2023. Five Thai hostages were Issued at the time of termination earlier this year – All alive.

The Israeli army pulled out the bodies of an elderly couple Judy and Gadi Hagai in Gazan in Han Einnis on Thursday.

The couple was killed in the same Kibbutz, and their bodies were also held by the Mujahdi brigades, according to IDF.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to a cross -border attack led by Hamas almost 20 months ago, killing about 1,200 people and 251 others were taken hostage.

About 54 of those captured during the attack remain in captivity, including the 31 Israeli military say they are dead.

At least 54 677 people were killed in Gaza during the war, according to the health ministry in the territory.