Israel has confirmed the identity of the hostage it received from Hamas as Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker, according to the prime minister’s office. Rinthalak was killed during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, at Kibbutz Be’eri. The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last of the hostages to be returned, remains in Gaza.
The transfer of Rinthalak’s body was facilitated by the Red Cross and handed over to the Israeli military for forensic identification. This completion marks a crucial condition of the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza conflict.
Hamas had agreed to release all living and deceased hostages under a ceasefire agreement reached in October. Following the truce, the militant group has returned 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
Despite the ceasefire since October 10, sporadic violence persists with Israel conducting strikes and demolitions in Gaza, targeting what it claims to be Hamas infrastructure. Medics at Khan Younis’ Al-Kuwaiti Hospital reported five Palestinians, including two children, killed by an Israeli missile attack on an encampment in western Khan Younis. The incident resulted in 32 injuries, with the casualties all from the same family.
Aisha Abu Jazar, a witness to the attack, expressed shock over the intense Israeli fire, questioning the impact on innocent children during the supposed ceasefire period. The Israeli military defended its actions, stating the strike targeted a “Hamas terrorist” in response to an earlier attack on its troops in Rafah.
In a separate incident, Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia, was killed in Gaza during a dispute with another family. His death could complicate Israel’s efforts to establish an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza. The armed groups supported by Israel, including the Popular Forces led by Abu Shabab, operate in a significant portion of Gaza still under Israeli military control.
Since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Gaza health authorities reported over 350 Palestinian deaths, while Israeli authorities confirmed the killing of three soldiers by Palestinian militants.