Thai hostage identified as body handed over by Hamas

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Thursday that the body recently returned by the Palestinian group Hamas belonged to a Thai national who had been taken hostage. Sudthisak Rinthalak, 42, was captured during the attacks by Hamas and allied militants on October 7, 2023, and detained in Gaza by Islamic Jihad. He passed away on May 16, 2024.

Following the recent identification, only one deceased hostage remains in the Gaza Strip. The exchange of bodies between Israel and Hamas was part of a ceasefire arrangement reached in October. Under this deal, Israel is required to return the remains of 15 Gazans for each Israeli body recovered.

As part of the same agreement, Hamas released the last 20 surviving hostages on October 13 in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The transfer of the deceased hostages, however, has been slow, taking over seven weeks to complete.

Author: Lucas Grant