Israel says it has retrieved the bodies of the kidnapped Thai hostages and was taken to Gaza on October 7, 2023 Military offensive According to health officials, at least 22 people have killed 22 people throughout the area.
The body of Thai citizen Natapong Pinta was sent back to Israel during a special military operation, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Saturday. Pinta came to Israel to work in agriculture. He has a wife and son.
The government said Pinta was kidnapped by Kibbutz Nir Oz and died in captivity after the war began. Israel’s defense minister said his body was retrieved from the Rafah area.
Israel said it found Pinta’s body based on information from hostage contingents and military intelligence. The army said he was taken to Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigade, a small armed group that was also kidnapped and killed Shiri Bibas and her two little kids.
Hostage Family Forum via AP
A statement from the Hostages Forum that supports the Hostages said it stood with Pinta’s family and shared in grief. It calls on policy makers in the country to take the remaining hostages home and bury those who died.
The Thais are the largest foreigners captured by Hamas militants. Many Thai agricultural workers live in compounds in the Kibutz and town suburbs of southern Israel, where Hamas militants first occupied. According to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a total of 46 Thais were killed during the conflict.
Three Thai hostages were imprisoned and two were confirmed dead before Pinta’s body was retrieved. According to the Hostage Forum, Pingta’s fate has remained uncertain until today.
There are 55 hostages In Gaza, Israel says more than half are dead.
This is two days later The bodies of two Israeli-American hostages Retrieved. Judith Weinstein and Gad Haggai were killed on October 7, with their bodies killed. CBS News previously reported that they also live in Kibbutz Nir Oz. They were also taken to Gaza by the jihadist brigade.
Pinta’s body was retrieved as Israel continued its military movement throughout Gaza. Hospital officials said they received nearly twenty bodies of people on Saturday.
In the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafa and Khan Yunis, four strikes attacked the Muwasi area in southern Gaza. In northern Gaza, a strike attacked an apartment and killed seven people, including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa Hospital.
Israel said on Saturday it was responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks” and was dismantling its capabilities. It said it complies with international law and takes all possible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. They still hold 55 hostages, about one-third of them are considered alive, and most of the rest are released under Ceasefire agreement or other transactions. Israeli troops have rescued eight live hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel’s military campaign killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, and the ministry did not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive destroyed much of Gaza and displaced 90% of the approximately 2 million Palestinians.
