Israel has confirmed the identity of the hostage received from Hamas on Wednesday as Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker, according to the prime minister’s office on Thursday. The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last hostage to be returned, remains in Gaza.
The transfer of the hostages’ bodies from Gaza fulfills a crucial requirement of the initial phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year conflict in Gaza. Rinthalak, who was killed during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, was brought back from Gaza by the Red Cross for forensic identification by the Israeli military.
Hamas had agreed to release all living and deceased hostages under a ceasefire deal in October. Since the truce began, the militant group has returned 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for approximately 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.
Following the ceasefire on October 10, violence has decreased, but Israel has continued to target Gaza and conduct demolitions of what it claims to be Hamas infrastructure. Both sides have accused each other of violating the U.S.-backed agreement.
A recent Israeli missile strike in western Khan Younis resulted in the deaths of five Palestinians, including two children, from the same family. Another 32 individuals were wounded in the attack. The grieving relatives watched as the bodies were transported through the city, expressing shock and sorrow over the incident.
An Israeli military spokesperson stated that the strike targeted a “Hamas terrorist” in response to an earlier attack on troops in Rafah that injured five soldiers. Hamas condemned the Israeli attack, calling it a breach of the ceasefire agreement and holding Israel accountable for the escalation.
In a separate incident, Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia called the Popular Forces, was killed in a dispute with another family in Gaza. Abu Shabab’s death may impact Israel’s efforts to establish an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza.
Since the ceasefire began, over 350 Palestinians have been reported killed, according to Gaza health authorities, while three Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants during the same period.