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Tag Archives: Hostage Situation
Body of Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7 is retrieved in special military operation, Israel says
Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped and taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, as it continues its military offensive across the strip, killing at least 22 people overnight, according to health officials.
The prime minister’s office said Saturday that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. He had a wife and son.
Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. His body was retrieved from the Rafah area, Israel’s defense minister said.
Israel said it found Pinta’s body based on information received from the hostage task force and military intelligence. The army said he was taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children.
Hostage’s Family Forum via AP
A statement from the hostage forum, which supports the hostages, said it stands with Pinta’s family and shares in their grief. It called on the country’s decision makers to bring home the remaining hostages and give those who have died a proper burial.
Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Before Pinta’s body was retrieved, three Thai hostages remained in captivity and two were confirmed dead. The fate of Pinta was uncertain until today, according to the hostage forum.
Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead.
This comes two days after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved. Judith Weinstein and Gad Haggai had been killed on October 7, and their bodies taken into Gaza. They had also lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz, CBS News previously reported. They had also been taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades.
The retrieval of Pinta’s body comes as Israel continues its military campaign across Gaza. Hospital officials said they received the bodies of nearly two dozen people Saturday.
Four strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven people, including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital.
Israel said Saturday that it’s responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks” and is dismantling its capabilities. It said it follows international law and takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. They are still holding 55 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Bodies of Israeli-American hostages Judi Lynn Weinstein and Gad Haggai recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza
Tel Aviv, Israel — Israel has recovered the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages killed and taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military and intelligence services said Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remains of Judi Lynn Weinstein and Gad Haggai were recovered and returned to Israel in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet internal security agency.
“Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts ache for the most terrible loss. May their memory be blessed,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Kibbutz Nir Oz announced the deaths of Weinstein, 70, and Haggai, 72, both of whom had Israeli and U.S. citizenship, in December 2023.
Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum
The military said they were killed in the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and taken into Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that it said had also abducted and killed Shiri Bibas and her two small children.
The army said it recovered the remains of Weinstein and Haggai overnight into Thursday from the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military and Shin Bet said in a joint statement that the recovery was “made possible as a result of precise intelligence.” The Israeli Army Radio network reported that the relevant intelligence was gained via the “interrogations of terrorists who were taken prisoner” during military operations in Gaza.
The couple were taking an early morning walk near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz on the morning of Oct. 7 when Hamas militants stormed across the border and rampaged through several army bases and farming communities.
Weinstein was able to call emergency services and let them know that both she and her husband had been shot, and to send a message to her family.
Weinstein was born in New York and taught English to children with special needs at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small community near the Gaza border. The kibbutz said she also taught meditation techniques to children and teenagers who suffered from anxiety as a result of rocket fire from Gaza. Haggai was a retired chef and jazz musician.
“My beautiful parents have been freed. We have certainty,” their daughter, Iris Haggai Liniado, wrote in a message posted on social media. She thanked the Israeli military, the FBI and the Israeli and U.S. governments and called for the release of the remaining 56 hostages held in Gaza. Israeli authorities believe about 20 of those captives are still alive.
The couple were survived by two sons and two daughters and seven grandchildren, the kibbutz said.
Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terrorist attack, and a total of 251 others taken hostage, most of whom have been released under temporary ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages from Gaza and recovered dozens of bodies.
Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not provide detailed figures on how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians, with many people being displaced multiple times.
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker another ceasefire and hostage release after Israel ended an earlier truce in March and imposed a blockade that raised fears of famine, despite being eased in recent weeks. But the talks appear to be deadlocked.
Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It has offered to hand over power to a politically independent Palestinian committee.
Netanyahu has rejected those terms, saying Israel will only agree to temporary ceasefires to facilitate the return of hostages. He has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
He has said Israel will maintain control over Gaza indefinitely and will facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population to other countries. The Palestinians and much of the international community have rejected such plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion that could violate international law.