Israel says it has retrieved the physique of a Thai hostage in Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel stated Saturday it had retrieved the physique of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza in the course of the Oct. 7, 2023, assault that sparked the battle, because it continued its army offensive, killing at the least 95 individuals up to now 24 hours, in keeping with Gaza’s well being ministry.

The prime minister’s workplace stated Nattapong Pinta’s physique was returned to Israel in a particular army operation. Pinta was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early within the battle, the federal government stated.

Thailand’s overseas ministry in a press release confirmed that the final Thai hostage in Gaza was confirmed useless. It stated the our bodies of two others are but to be retrieved.

The information got here two days after the our bodies of two Israeli-American hostages had been retrieved. Fifty-five hostages stay in Gaza, and Israel says greater than half are useless.

Israel’s protection minister stated Pinta’s physique was retrieved from the Rafah space in southern Gaza. He had come to Israel to work in agriculture.

The military stated he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it stated additionally kidnapped and killed Shiri Bibas and her two young children. The identical group took the 2 Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose our bodies had been retrieved Thursday.

Thais had been the biggest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Most of the agricultural staff lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and cities, and Hamas militants overran these locations first. A complete of 46 Thais have been killed in the course of the battle, in keeping with Thailand’s overseas ministry.

Individually, Hamas issued an uncommon warning about one other hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel’s army had surrounded the realm the place he’s held and that any hurt to him throughout a rescue try could be Israel’s accountability.

Israel continues its army offensive

Stories say a few of the useless had been attempting to get meals assist

Workers at Nasser hospital, the place six of the our bodies over the previous 24 hours had been taken, stated they had been killed whereas on their strategy to get meals assist. A lot of Gaza’s inhabitants of over 2 million now depends on such assist after widespread destruction of agriculture and markets in addition to a current Israeli blockade of two and a half months. Specialists have warned of famine within the territory.

Israel’s military stated that regardless of warnings that the distribution space is an lively fight zone throughout nighttime hours, a number of suspects tried to method troops working within the Tel al-Sultan space in a single day “in a manner that posed a threat to the troops.” The military stated troops known as out, however because the suspects continued advancing, they fired warning photographs.

A military official who could not be named according to army procedures stated the photographs had been fired about one kilometer (half a mile) from the help distribution web site.

Shootings have occurred continuously close to the brand new hubs the place 1000’s of determined Palestinians are being directed to gather meals. The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Basis, a brand new group of primarily American contractors. Israel desires the GHF to switch humanitarian teams in Gaza that distribute assist in coordination with the United Nations.

Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off assist below the U.N.-led system. The U.N. and assist teams deny there’s vital diversion of assist to militants and say the brand new system — which they’ve rejected — permits Israel to make use of meals as a weapon, violates humanitarian ideas and will not be efficient.

It was unclear if the GHF websites opened on Saturday. Individually, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza Metropolis for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha.

“I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,” stated the ready Farida al-Sayed, who stated she had six individuals to feed. “I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.”

Dying tolls because the battle started

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, within the October 2023 assault and kidnapped 251 hostages. Most had been launched in ceasefire agreements or different offers. Israeli forces have rescued eight residing hostages and recovered dozens of our bodies.

Israel’s army marketing campaign has killed greater than 54,000 Palestinians, largely girls and kids, in keeping with Gaza’s well being ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed giant elements of Gaza and displaced round 90% of its inhabitants of roughly 2 million Palestinians.