The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued a public statement confirming that they have formally communicated the conclusive identification of the recovered remains to the family of the deceased, named as Suthisak Rintalak, expressing their "deep condolences" regarding the tragic news.
The IDF further affirmed its unwavering commitment to persist in the endeavor to secure the repatriation of the remains of the final unaccounted-for hostage, Ran Gvili, simultaneously urging the Palestinian organization Hamas to "make the necessary efforts" to facilitate his return to his bereaved family.
In an official communiqué, the Prime Minister's Office indicated that Israeli government officials are actively coordinating with the Royal Thai Embassy situated in Israel to meticulously arrange for the prompt and dignified repatriation of Mr. Rintalak's remains to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Both Israeli and Thai official authorities assert that both hostages were fatally wounded during the extensive, Hamas-led incursions into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and that their physical remains were subsequently transported into the Gaza Strip.
Under the provisions of the initial phase of the humanitarian ceasefire agreement, which was successfully brokered by the United States and became effective on October 10, Hamas had contractually committed to repatriating the twenty living Israeli hostages and the remains of the twenty-eight deceased Israeli and foreign nationals still situated within Gaza within a seventy-two-hour timeframe.
All the living hostages who were part of this agreement were released on October 13, in exchange for the simultaneous release of 250 Palestinian detainees and 1,718 prisoners held by Israel.
To date, the remains of twenty-three deceased Israeli hostages have been successfully transferred, alongside the remains of four foreign nationals: two from Thailand, one from Nepal, and one from Tanzania. In a reciprocal action, Israel has concurrently handed over the bodies of 345 Palestinians who perished during the conflict.
Israel has lodged accusations against Hamas, alleging the deliberate protraction of the recovery process for the remains of the deceased hostages. Conversely, Hamas has maintained that it is experiencing considerable logistical difficulties in locating the remains amidst the widespread devastation and rubble in the territory.
This protracted pace of progress has critically impeded the advancement to the second, more comprehensive phase of US President Donald Trump's proposed Gaza peace initiative. This subsequent phase encompasses detailed plans for the future civil governance of Gaza, the phased withdrawal of Israeli military contingents, the complete disarmament of Hamas, and extensive reconstruction efforts.
The last deceased hostage whose remains are still held in Gaza was among the total of 251 individuals who were forcibly abducted by Hamas and its allied factions during the October 7, 2023, assault, which also resulted in the tragic loss of approximately 1,200 other lives. Israel responded to this unprecedented attack by initiating a large-scale military campaign within Gaza, which, according to casualty figures reported by the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, has resulted in the fatalities of more than 70,100 people.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office confirmed that the human remains transferred to Israel via the Red Cross on Wednesday were conclusively identified as those of Suthisak Rintalak, a 43-year-old Thai agricultural worker.
Mr. Rintalak was one of the last two deceased hostages whose remains were believed to be held in Gaza. The body of the final remaining deceased hostage, Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, regrettably continues to be situated within the Gaza Strip.
Israel received the casket containing Mr. Rintalak's remains subsequent to the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization issuing a statement claiming that they had located the body of a hostage in the northern sector of Gaza. This repatriation occurred just hours after the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced that forensic testing had determined that another set of remains, which had been transferred by Hamas on Tuesday, did not correspond to the identity of either of the two remaining deceased hostages.

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