Body of murdered Thai hostage returned during Israel forces' special operation

"We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home - both the living and the dead," the PMO said in a statement.

The body of the last Thai hostage Pinta Nattapong has been recovered from the Gaza Strip on Friday, during a special operation conducted by the IDF and ISA, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed in a statement on Saturday.

"The operation was made possible by precise intelligence obtained from an ISA interrogation of a terrorist, along with intelligence received from the Hostage Task Force and the IDF Intelligence Directorate," a joint IDF and ISA statement.

Identification of Nattapong's body was carried out by the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in cooperation with the Israel Police, the Hostage Task Force of the IDF's Manpower Directorate, the statement added.

55 hostages remain in Gaza under Hamas captivity.

Nattapong was last Thai hostage held by Hamas

Nattapong was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

In January 2025, five Thai nationals who were kidnapped and held hostage in Gaza were released from captivity. At that time Nattapong was believed to be alive.

The freed Thai captives were also working in agriculture in the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip at the time of their capture.

PMO, Hostages Forum offer condolences

The Thai Embassy updated Nattapong's family on the situation in coordination with the Defense Intelligence Agency.

"Together with all the citizens of Israel, we extend our condolences to Nattapong's family and the Thai people," the PMO statement said.

"We will not rest or be silent until we return all of our hostages home - both the living and the dead."

"The IDF and ISA will continue to make all efforts possible to bring home all the hostages," the organizations said in their statement.

"We stand with Nattapong's family today and share in their grief. While the pain is immense, his family will finally have certainty after 20 terrible and agonizing months of devastating uncertainty. Every family deserves such certainty to begin their personal healing journey," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum HQ said in a press release.

"We emphasize once again that decision-makers must do everything necessary to reach an agreement that will bring back all 55 remaining hostages—the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for proper burial."

"Israel's longest war in its history cannot end in victory without all 55 hostages who remain in captivity."