Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into
Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023
[June 07, 2025]
By SAM MEDNICK and MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai
hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, as it continues its
military offensive across the strip, killing at least 22 people
overnight, according to health officials.
The Prime Minister’s office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen
Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation.
Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the
start of the war, said the government.
This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages
were retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says
more than half are dead.
The defense minister said Saturday that Pinta's body was retrieved from
the Rafah area. He had come to Israel from Thailand to work in
agriculture.
The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the
small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas
and her two small children. It's also the same group that took the two
Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies
were retrieved by the army Thursday.
Israel said it found Pinta's body based on information received from the
hostage task force and military intelligence.
A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it
stands with Pinta's family and shares in their grief. It called on the
country's decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give
those who have died a proper burial.
Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas
militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on
the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas
militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been
killed during the conflict, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
Before Pinta's body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in
captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Pinta was uncertain
until today, according to the hostage forum.
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This undated photo provided by the Hostage's Family Forum shows
Nattapong Pinta, with his wife and son. (Hostage's Family Forum via
AP)
The retrieval of Pinta's body comes as Israel continues its military
campaign across Gaza. Hospital officials said they received the bodies
of nearly two dozen people Saturday.
Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan
Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven
people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to
Shifa hospital.
Israel said Saturday that it’s responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks”
and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international
law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the
Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 55
hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the
rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli
forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens
of bodies.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians,
mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which
does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has
destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population
of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
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