Israel on Thursday announced that the body of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, abducted and killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas assault, has been returned to Israel and formally identified, following a joint forensic process by the National Center of Forensic Medicine, the Israel Police and the IDF Rabbinate.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Coordinator, retired Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch, informed Rintalak’s family that arrangements for repatriating his remains to Thailand will be coordinated with the Thai Embassy. Israeli officials conveyed “the deep sorrow of the Government of Israel, the people of Thailand and all families of the fallen hostages.”
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Sudthisak Rinthalak
(Photo: Courtesy of Ratada Gongfet)
Rinthalak’s family and Thailand’s ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, expressed gratitude to Israel for what they called its continuous efforts since the start of the war to recover his body and support the family.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Directorate said it remains “determined and fully committed” to recovering the body of Sgt. First Class Ran Gvili, a police special forces officer killed on Oct. 7 and still held by Hamas.
The government reiterated that Hamas is obligated under the ceasefire-mediated arrangement to return the bodies of all deceased hostages. “Hamas must fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return him under the terms of the agreement,” the statement said. “We will not compromise and will spare no effort until he is brought home.”
The IDF said that, according to available intelligence, Rinthalak was murdered on October 7 and his body was taken into Gaza, where it was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. He was 42, worked in agriculture, and was abducted from the orchards of Kibbutz Be’eri. His death was formally determined on May 16, 2024. He is survived by his parents and a brother.