Israeli and Thai officials confirmed Thursday that the remains of Sudhisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker, were identified and returned to Israel, marking the recovery of the last Thai hostage taken during the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was notified on Wednesday by Israeli authorities that remains recently handed over by militants in Gaza had been positively identified as Rinthalak. He was one of many foreign workers caught in the initial assault and was killed during the attack on an Israeli kibbutz.
Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine conducted the identification, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said during a press briefing that Rinthalak’s family had been informed of the identification. He stated that Rinthalak was killed on October 7 and that his body had then been taken into Gaza.
Balankura expressed gratitude to Israeli authorities, saying their assistance helped secure the release of all Thai hostages. In total, 20 Thai hostages were released alive, while the remains of seven others—including Rinthalak—were recovered.
The repatriation is part of the terms of a ceasefire brokered by the United States in early October. Since its start, 20 living hostages and the remains of 27 others have been returned to Israel.
With Rinthalak’s return, only one hostage’s body is believed to remain in Gaza: that of Israeli police officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili. Gvili is believed to have been killed while helping evacuate civilians from the Nova music festival and later engaging in combat at another location. The Israeli military confirmed his death four months after the October attack.
“The Government and the entire Directorate for the Hostages and the Missing of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return National Counter-Terrorism Unit fighter and hero Master Sgt. Ran Gvili for a proper Jewish burial,” Netanyahu’s office said Thursday.
As part of the same ceasefire framework, Israel has returned the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians to Gaza in exchange for hostages or their remains. Many of the Palestinian remains remain unidentified.
The October 7 Hamas-led assault on Israel marked a sharp escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, triggering a prolonged war in Gaza. The ongoing ceasefire agreement has faced repeated accusations of violations from both sides.
