TEL AVIV, Israel — In a significant development in the ongoing conflict, Israel announced on Saturday that it had recovered the body of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai hostage taken into Gaza during the attacks of October 7, 2023.
This retrieval was confirmed by the prime minister’s office and was conducted through a specialized military operation. Pinta had been kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and was reportedly killed early in the conflict, as stated by the Israeli government.
The Thai foreign ministry subsequently released a statement confirming the death of the last Thai hostage in Gaza. Furthermore, it indicated that the bodies of two more Thai individuals are still to be recovered.
This development comes on the heels of the recovery of two Israeli-American hostages earlier in the week, intensifying the already dire situation as fifty-five hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. According to Israeli authorities, it is believed that more than half of these hostages have perished.
The Israeli defense minister revealed that Pinta’s body was recovered from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The deceased had traveled to Israel to work in the agricultural sector.
Military reports attribute Pinta’s abduction to the Mujahideen Brigades, a lesser-known armed group that has also been implicated in the kidnapping and murder of other hostages, including Israeli-American citizens Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose remains were retrieved on Thursday.
The significant presence of Thai nationals among the hostages reflects a troubling reality, as Thais comprised the largest group of foreign workers captured by Hamas militants. Many of them were employed in agricultural roles on Israeli kibbutzim and surrounding towns, which were among the first areas overrun during the initial assault.
According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, a total of 46 Thai nationals have lost their lives during the ongoing conflict.
In an unusual statement, Hamas issued a warning pertaining to another hostage, Matan Zangauker, claiming that Israel’s military had encircled the area where he is held. Hamas asserted that any harm to Zangauker during a rescue operation would be Israel’s responsibility.
Amid these developments, the military offensive in Gaza continues unabated.
Recent Israeli strikes targeted multiple locations in southern Gaza, including four in the Muwasi area between Rafah and Khan Younis. The violence has also been reported in northern Gaza, where an attack on an apartment building resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, including a mother and her five children.
Witnesses at Shifa hospital recounted the harrowing scene as families mourned their losses, with one woman lamenting, “Stand up, my love,” as she touched the shrouded bodies of the deceased.
Another attack in Gaza City claimed the lives of six family members, including two children, according to local hospitals.
The Israeli military asserts that its actions are in retaliation for what they describe as Hamas’ “barbaric attacks,” emphasizing their goal of dismantling the terror group’s operational capabilities while taking steps to minimize civilian casualties.
Reports indicate that some of those killed during these strikes were attempting to acquire food aid, highlighting the deteriorating conditions in Gaza.
With much of the population currently relying on humanitarian assistance, the situation has become increasingly dire following extensive damage to agriculture and market structures, exacerbated by a blockade imposed by Israel for the past two and a half months. Experts have raised alarms over a looming famine in the region.
Israel’s army has reported that despite warnings regarding the active combat zones during night hours, numerous individuals attempted to approach troops in the Tel al-Sultan area, potentially endangering military personnel.
According to an unnamed army official, warning shots were fired at suspects advancing toward the soldiers, approximately one kilometer from the aid distribution site.
Incidents of gunfire have escalated near newly established aid distribution hubs, where thousands of desperate Palestinians are directed to collect food. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors, has taken charge of these distribution efforts.
Israel has insisted on replacing traditional humanitarian groups that have worked in coordination with the UN for fear that Hamas may be diverting aid. This claim has been refuted by the UN and other aid organizations, which argue that the new system violates humanitarian principles and would ultimately be ineffective.
It remains uncertain whether the GHF sites opened for aid distribution over the weekend. Concurrently, many Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for food handouts during the second day of Eid al-Adha.
One individual waiting in line, Farida al-Sayed, expressed distress over the conditions, stating, “I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need. I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.”
The toll of the ongoing conflict has been staggering, with Hamas militants reportedly responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals during the initial onslaught in October 2023, the majority of whom were civilians. They also abducted 251 hostages, many of whom have since been released through ceasefires or other deals.
Israeli forces have managed to rescue eight living hostages while recovering dozens of deceased individuals. In contrast, the Israeli military campaign has claimed more than 54,000 Palestinian lives, predominantly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and non-combatants. As a result of the offensive, large swaths of Gaza have been decimated, forcing around 90% of its roughly two million residents to flee their homes.
image source from：https://www.npr.org/2025/06/07/nx-s1-5426563/gaza-thai-hostage-body-recovered
