Israel retrieves the body of Thai hostage as 95 people are reported killed in Gaza

Nattapong Pinta, with his wife and son

Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as Israel’s military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Nattapong Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel’s government said he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Thailand’s foreign ministry said the bodies of two other citizens were yet to be retrieved. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, the first places overrun in the attack. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the war, according to the foreign ministry.

Israel’s defense minister said Pinta’s body was retrieved from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The army said he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday.

Israel’s military later said it killed the head of the Mujahideen Brigades, As’ad Aby Sharaiya, in Gaza City on Saturday.

Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families rallied again Saturday evening in Israel, calling for a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home.

Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel’s military had surrounded the area where he’s held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel’s responsibility. Israel’s military didn’t immediately comment.

“The decision to expand the (military) ground maneuver is at the cost of Matan’s life and the lives of all the hostages,” Zangauker’s mother, Einav, told the rally in Tel Aviv.

Israel continues its military offensive

A strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel’s military said the strike targeted the Mujahideen Brigades leader.

“This is the real destruction,” a man said as he carried the body of a small boy from the scene.

Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, a strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital.

“Stand up, my love,” one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies.

Israel said it was responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks” and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. SAM MEDNICK & MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH, TEL AVIV, MDT/AP