Israel identifies body returned by Hamas as Thai Hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak
The return of the last remaining bodies would fulfill a key requirement of Donald Trump’s initial Gaza ceasefire plan, as exchanges continue under the fragile truce.
Israel has identified the remains of the hostage transferred from Hamas on Wednesday as Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Thursday.
Rinthalak’s body was carried out of Gaza by the International Committee of the Red Cross before being handed over to the Israeli military for forensic testing.
The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the final hostage — living or deceased — yet to be returned, remains in Gaza.
The completion of the handovers is a central condition of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza war.
Under the ceasefire reached in October, Hamas agreed to release all remaining hostages, both living and dead. Since then, the group has returned 20 living captives and 27 bodies in exchange for the release of roughly 2,000 Palestinian detainees and prisoners, part of a staggered swap that has unfolded as the truce holds tenuously.