Fulfilling 'basic human moral duty,' IDF rescues body of murdered Thai hostage Nattapong Pinta from Gaza

The IDF announced today (Saturday) that it recovered the body of Nattapong Pinta, a Thai national who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 and murdered in captivity by the terrorist organization Kataeb al-Mujahideen close to the outbreak of the war. Pinta, who was 35 at the time of his death, is expected to be flown back to Thailand. Following the return of his body to Israel, 55 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.

The Prime Minister's Office stated that Pinta's body was brought back on Friday in a special operation carried out by the Shin Bet and the IDF. His wife and 7-year-old son, who are in Thailand, were notified by the embassy. The IDF believes Pinta was murdered within the first few months after being kidnapped alive from Nir Oz. He was one of three hostages feared to have been killed, with no information received about them since the events of the “Black Saturday.”

The operation to retrieve his body began yesterday – led by IDF troops, the IDF Southern Command, and the Gaza Division in the Rafah area – based on precise intelligence obtained during a Shin Bet interrogation of a captured terrorist. IDF soldiers, including units from Yahalom (special engineering), Oketz (canine), Me’raavol (breaching), and the Shin Bet, carried out the recovery of the body in Rafah based on additional information from a commander of the captors.

The IDF reported that Nattapong was kidnapped and murdered by the Kataeb al-Mujahideen organization – the same group responsible for the abduction and murder of Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai, whose bodies were returned to Israel earlier this week, as well as Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, who were also murdered in captivity. Defense officials say the same Gaza-based terrorist group is also responsible for the abduction of another foreign national whose body remains in Gaza.

Defense Minister Israel Katz responded: "Following a special IDF and Shin Bet operation in the Rafah area, the body of Nattapong Pinta has been brought back to Israel. He came from Thailand to work in agriculture, hoping to build a better future for himself and his family, and was cruelly murdered in captivity by the terrorist organization Kataeb al-Mujahideen."

A statement from the Hostage Families Forum read, "The return of Nattapong is the fulfillment of a basic human moral duty, enabling his family the necessary closure. We send strength to his family and share in their sorrow. Though the pain is immense, at last his family will have certainty—after 20 long and agonizing months of painful questions, they finally have the certainty that every family deserves in order to begin the journey of personal healing."

Kibbutz Nir Oz described Pinta as "a hardworking and beloved man in the kibbutz, always with a smile and a quiet spirit," adding, "Nattapong is someone who leaves a lasting impression on all who knew him."

The announcement also listed the names of kibbutz members still in captivity: David Cunio, Ariel Cunio, Matan Tzangauker, Eitan Horn, Aryeh (Zalman) Zalmnovitch, Tamir Eder, Eliyahu (‘Churchill’) Margalit, Yair Yaakov, Ronen Engel, Aviv Atzili, and Amiram Cooper.