Israel recovers body of Gaza hostage Nattapong Pinta

Nattapong Pinta came to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture, out of a desire to build a better future for himself and his family.

Nattapong Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Israeli forces have retrieved the body of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

A military statement said the army and the Shin Bet security agency carried out an operation on Friday and “recovered the body of Nattapong Pinta from the Rafah area” in southern Gaza.

Mr Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war.

Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the hostage’s body was “returned to Israel” in “a special operation” in the Rafah area.

“Nattapong came to Israel from Thailand to work in agriculture, out of a desire to build a better future for himself and his family,” Mr Katz said.

He was “brutally murdered in captivity by the terrorist organisation Mujahideen Brigades”, the minister said.

Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead.

On Thursday, Israel retrieved the bodies of Judi Weinstein and Gad Haggai, both of whom had Israeli and US citizenship.

Israeli hostages Judi Weinstein and Gad Haggai. Picture: AP

The military statement said that the militant group which stormed Nir Oz during Hamas’s 2023 attack was to blame for the deaths of several other hostages.

“The murderous Mujahideen terrorist organisation abducted, held and murdered Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, whose bodies were returned as part of the last hostage deal, as well as the bodies of Gad Haggai and Judi Lynn Weinstein, which were returned earlier this week,” the statement said.

“The Mujahideen terrorist organisation has also murdered and is holding the body of another foreign national,” it added.

The statement said Nattapong’s family and Thai officials had been notified of the operation to recover his body.

AFP, AP