TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military on Saturday announced it had recovered the body of a Thai national who was abducted by militants into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led assault, as its military offensive across the Gaza Strip continues amid mounting casualties.
The remains of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai agricultural worker, were retrieved during a special operation in the Rafah area, according to a statement from Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office. Pinta, who had a wife and son, had been taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz and was killed in captivity near the start of the war, officials said.
Israel’s defense ministry credited intelligence provided by the hostage task force and military operatives for locating Pinta’s body. The Mujahideen Brigades, a lesser-known Palestinian militant faction, was identified as the group responsible for his abduction and death. The same group had previously been blamed for the deaths of Israeli-American hostages Judith Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were also recently recovered.
A statement from the Israeli Hostage and Missing Families Forum expressed solidarity with Pinta’s family and called on government officials to intensify efforts to return the remaining hostages and ensure dignified burials for the deceased.
Thai nationals represented the largest group of foreign laborers taken hostage during the October 7 attacks. Many worked in agriculture and lived in vulnerable border communities. According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thai citizens have been killed in the conflict so far. Before Pinta’s body was recovered, three Thai hostages remained in captivity, with two others confirmed dead.
The military’s announcement came as Israel’s campaign in Gaza escalated. Overnight airstrikes reportedly killed at least 22 people, including a woman and five children in a northern Gaza apartment strike. Health authorities in Gaza said additional casualties were received at Shifa Hospital. Four airstrikes were reported in Muwasi, between Rafah and Khan Younis, as Israel intensified operations in southern Gaza.
In a statement, the Israeli military defended its actions, saying it was responding to “barbaric attacks” by Hamas and was acting in accordance with international law, taking steps to avoid civilian harm.
Since the start of the war, Hamas-led militants have killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taken 251 hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli authorities. As of Saturday, 55 hostages remain, with more than half presumed dead. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of dozens.
The war has exacted a devastating toll on Gaza, where more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Nearly 90% of Gaza’s 2 million residents have been displaced, with much of the territory now reduced to rubble.
