Israel has confirmed the identity of the hostage received from Hamas as Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker, according to the prime minister’s office. The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last hostage to be returned, remains in Gaza. The return of the hostages’ bodies in Gaza fulfills a crucial condition of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza conflict.
Rinthalak, aged 42, was killed during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, at Kibbutz Be’eri. The body was transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross for forensic identification by the Israeli military. Hamas has complied with the ceasefire agreement by handing over all living and deceased hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.
Despite a decrease in violence since the ceasefire, Israel continues to target Gaza, alleging Hamas infrastructure as the target. Medics at Al-Kuwaiti Hospital in Khan Younis reported casualties from an Israeli missile strike, resulting in five Palestinian fatalities, including two children from the same family. Another 32 individuals were injured in the attack.
Aisha Abu Jazar, a resident near the strike site, expressed shock at the intensity of the Israeli attack, particularly the impact on sleeping children. She criticized the violation of the ceasefire agreement, questioning the rationale behind targeting civilians. The Israeli military justified the strike as a response to an earlier attack on its troops in Rafah.
In a separate incident, the leader of an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia, Yasser Abu Shabab, was killed in Gaza during a family dispute. His death raises concerns about the stability of the region and the attempts to establish an alternative to Hamas rule in Gaza. The Popular Forces militia, supported by Israel, operates in a significant portion of the Gaza Strip and has faced criticism for its association with the Israeli military.
Since the ceasefire, over 350 Palestinians have been reported killed, while Israeli authorities confirmed the death of three soldiers due to Palestinian militant activities.
