Israel retrieves body of Thai man, latest hostage recovered from 2023 Hamas attack

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Jun 07, 2025 10:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 7

Israel's defence curate says the subject has retrieved the assemblage of Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta, who had been held successful Gaza since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas.

Israel Katz made the announcement on Saturday as further Israeli airstrikes killed 45 people, according to section medics.

The quality comes conscionable days aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the subject had recovered the bodies of Canadian Israeli Judih Weinstein and her husband, Israeli American Gadi Haggai — who were also among the 251 radical abducted by the Islamist militant group.

Weinstein was among respective Canadian citizens killed successful the Oct. 7 attacks.

Pinta's assemblage was held by the Palestinian militant group the Mujahideen Brigades and was recovered from the area of Rafah successful confederate Gaza, Katz said. His household in Thailand has been notified.

Pinta, an cultivation worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a tiny Israeli assemblage adjacent the Gaza borderline wherever a quarter of the colonisation was killed oregon taken hostage during the Hamas onslaught that triggered the warfare successful Gaza.

Israel's subject said Pinta had been abducted live and killed by his captors, who had besides killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of Weinstein and Haggai.

There was nary contiguous remark from the Mujahideen Brigades, which antecedently denied sidesplitting radical they took captive, oregon from Hamas. The Israeli subject said the Brigades were inactive holding the assemblage of different overseas national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to inactive beryllium alive.

The Mujahideen Brigades besides held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her 2 young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed successful March aft the 2 sides could not hold connected presumption for extending it to a 2nd phase.

Israel has since expanded its violative crossed Gaza as U.S., Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to unafraid another ceasefire person faltered.

WATCH | Bodies of Canadian and her hubby recovered by Israel from Gaza:

Medics successful Gaza said 45 radical successful full were killed in Israeli airstrikes crossed the enclave connected Saturday.

At slightest 15 Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded by Israeli airstrikes successful the Gaza City territory of Sabra, section wellness authorities said.

More than 1 rocket landed successful the area. The people seemed to person been a multi-floor residential building, but the 
detonation damaged respective different houses nearby, according to witnesses and media. 

The Israeli subject did not instantly comment. It aboriginal warned radical to evacuate the adjacent territory of Jabalia, saying it would onslaught determination aft rockets were launched by militants successful the vicinity.

Palestinian health officials said Saturday that Gaza's hospitals had capable substance for lone 3 much days and that Israel was denying entree for planetary alleviation agencies to areas wherever substance storages designated for hospitals are located.

There was nary contiguous effect from the Israeli subject oregon COGAT, the Israeli defence bureau that co-ordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians.

U.S.-backed assistance radical halts distributions

The United Nations has warned that astir of Gaza's 2.3 cardinal colonisation is astatine hazard of famine aft an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the complaint of young children suffering from acute malnutrition astir tripling.

Aid organisation was halted connected Friday aft the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said overcrowding had made it unsafe to proceed operations. It was unclear whether assistance had resumed connected Saturday.

On Wednesday, the GHF suspended operations and asked the Israeli subject to reappraisal information protocols aft Palestinian hospital officials said much than 80 radical had been changeable dead and hundreds wounded adjacent organisation points betwixt June 1 and 3.

WATCH | Aid radical closes organisation centres successful Gaza:

The GHF began distributing nutrient packages successful Gaza astatine the end of May, overseeing a caller exemplary of assistance organisation which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided astir 9 cardinal meals truthful far.

The Israeli subject said connected Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian assistance belonging to UN and different international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.

Israel is facing increasing planetary unit implicit its violative against Hamas, which has plunged Gaza into a humanitarian situation and displaced astir of its population.

But determination is nary extremity successful show for the warfare that was sparked when Hamas-led militants took the 251 hostages and killed astir 1,200 people successful the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Israel's subject run has since killed much than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities successful Gaza, and near overmuch of the densely populated coastal enclave successful ruins.

Families of remaining hostages accidental they fearfulness those who are alive are in danger from the continued Israeli violative and those dormant will be mislaid forever. Israel says the run is aimed astatine bringing them each backmost and ending Hamas regularisation successful Gaza.

Israeli officials say more than 40 hostages person been killed successful captivity, immoderate in the people of Israeli strikes and others killed by their captors.