Israel has confirmed the identity of the hostage received from Hamas as Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker. The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the final hostage to be returned, remains in Gaza. The transfer of the hostages’ bodies in Gaza fulfills a crucial condition of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the two-year Gaza conflict.
Rinthalak’s body was brought from Gaza by the Red Cross and handed over to the Israeli military for forensic identification. He was killed during Hamas’ attack on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7, 2023. Hamas had agreed to release all hostages under a ceasefire agreement in October. Since then, the group has returned all 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.
Despite a decrease in violence following the ceasefire, Israel has continued to target Gaza and dismantle what it deems as Hamas infrastructure. Both sides have accused each other of violating the U.S.-backed agreement.
Following an Israeli missile strike in Khan Younis, five Palestinians, including two children, were killed, and 32 others were injured. The victims, from a single family, were mourned by their relatives as their bodies were transported through the city. A witness described the attack on a tent where the children were sleeping as a violation of the ceasefire.
The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted a Hamas member in response to an earlier attack on its troops. Hamas condemned the attack as a breach of the ceasefire. Additionally, two Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza City, which the Israeli military said it was investigating.
In a separate incident, Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of an Israeli-backed Palestinian militia, was killed in Gaza during a dispute with another family. The Popular Forces, the militia to which Abu Shabab belonged, emphasized that he was not killed by Hamas. His death could impact Israel’s efforts to establish an alternative to Hamas in Gaza.
Since the ceasefire began, over 350 Palestinians have died, according to Gaza health authorities, while three Israeli soldiers were killed by Palestinian militants.