Israeli army says body of second-to-last Gaza hostage identified

Israel’s army said Thursday the remains of the second-to-last Gaza hostage — a Thai national — to be handed over had been identified.

While Hamas released the living hostages it held in Gaza as part of the ceasefire deal with Israel, the process of returning the remains of the deceased captives has dragged on.

“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 army said in a statement.

Sudthisak Rinthalak was killed on October 7, 2023, and his body taken to the Gaza Strip and held, the army said.

He was 42 years old at the time of his death and worked in agriculture.

Under the first phase of the deal brokered by Washington, Palestinian militants have handed over the last 20 living hostages, and so far, the remains of 27 out of 28 deceased ones.

The last remaining deceased hostage to be handed over is Israeli.

In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.

Militants took 251 people hostage during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which triggered the devastating war and resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,117 people, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.