Israel’s service has verified that the remains of a Thai agrarian worker, taken during the Hamas attack of 7 October 2023, are among the latest to be returned from Gaza as part of the ongoing hostage return process under the fragile US-brokered ceasefire.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed that the body had been linked to Sudthisak Rinthalak, a 42- time-old Thai public who was killed during the attack before zealots took his body into Gaza.
The army said the evidence followed a detailed forensic check. “Following the completion of the identification process… IDF representatives, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed the family of Sudthisak Rinthalak that his body has been returned for burial,” the statement noted.
Hostage Remains Returned Under Ceasefire Deal
Rinthalak, who worked on farms near the Gaza border, was among a large community of Thai labourers employed across Israel’s agricultural sector.
Thailand suffered significant losses on 7 October, with 31 Thai workers kidnapped, the biggest group of foreign citizens caught up in the Gaza hostage crisis.
While numerous Thai internees in Gaza were freed during the early stages of the ceasefire, the return of remains has been important slower, tied to ongoing accommodations and political pressure on both sides.
Impact of the Hostage Crisis on Foreign Workers
The handover of Rinthalak’s remains underscores how complicated the situation remains, even months after the attack.
Although all surviving Israeli hostages have now been released, the return of those who died in captivity, or were taken dead into Gaza, has dragged on.
Under the US-mediated agreement, Palestinian militants have so far returned the last 20 living hostages and 27 of the 28 deceased hostages.
The only remaining body yet to be transferred is that of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, who is still believed to be held in Gaza.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian captives and transferred back the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians to their families.
These exchanges, part of wider hostage release accommodations, continue to punctuate the emotional and political weight of the internees’ issue on both sides.
Human Cost of the Conflict
The 7 October attack remains the deadliest day in Israel’s history, with 251 people taken hostage and 1,221 killed, according to Israeli figures.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military response in Gaza has resulted in at least 70,117 deaths, based on figures from Gaza’s health ministry, which the UN considers broadly reliable.
For Rinthalak’s family in Thailand, the return of his remains brings a painful kind of closure.
While the confirmation ends months of uncertainty, it also reinforces the deep human toll of the conflict, not only on Israelis and Palestinians but also on the many foreign workers caught in the violence without warning.
