Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Sudthisak Rinthalak (Courtesy)
Military and Foreign Ministry representatives have notified the family of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak that his body was returned to Israel by Palestinian terror groups, after forensic experts completed identification efforts.
Rinthalak, an agricultural worker from Thailand, was murdered by Hamas-led terrorists near Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023, and his body was taken captive to Gaza by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group. He was 42 years old.
Rinthalak’s body was located by the Islamic Jihad in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday morning. Islamic Jihad and Hamas handed over the body to the Red Cross in the afternoon, who then brought it to the IDF.
IDF troops salute the casket containing the remains of slain hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak after it was returned by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in the Gaza Strip December 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
The body of just one slain hostage remains in Gaza: police officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, who was killed and abducted while battling terrorists in the border community of Alumim on the morning of October 7, 2023.
“The Israeli government shares in the deep sorrow of the Rinthalak family and of all the families of the fallen hostages,” the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.
The PMO says that Israel is “determined, committed, and working tirelessly” to bring back the final slain hostage for burial, adding that Hamas is “required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement.”
IDF troops carry the casket containing the remains of slain hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak after it was returned by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in the Gaza Strip December 3, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 4, 2025
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