Bodies of murdered hostages Ronen Engel and Sonthaya Oakkharasri are returned to Israel

Ronen Engel and Sonthaya Oakkharasri are the hostages whose bodies were returned to Israel last night, it was cleared for publication this morning (Sunday). With this, 16 deceased hostages remain in the Gaza Strip.

Ronen was murdered while defending his family from terrorists who broke into their home, and his body was taken to Gaza. He is survived by his wife Karina, his children Tom, Mika, and Yuval, and his brother Danny. Karina, Mika, and Yuval were also abducted to Gaza on Oct. 7 and were released in the first hostage deal in November 2023 after 52 days in captivity.

Sonthaya Oakkharasri, 30, from Thailand, worked in the orchards of Kibbutz Be’eri — where he was murdered and his body was taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. His family received official notification of his death on May 17, 2024. Sonthaya was the father of a seven-year-old girl and dreamed of returning home to build his own farm in Thailand. His employment contract in Israel was due to end in October 2023.

Ronen Engel’s brother on his bravery on Oct. 7: “He fought until his last drop of blood”

Danny Engel, Ronen’s brother, told Aryeh Golan on the radio program “This Morning” (Kan Reshet Bet) about Ronen’s heroism during the massacre: “We make sure to say that he was killed while trying to save his family. Ronen was armed and was always the kind of guy who runs toward danger. When he realized what was happening, he left the safe room, leaving Karina and the girls behind. He fought until his last drop of blood – he couldn’t stand against so many terrorists. There is evidence showing there was a serious battle there.”

“Ronen and Karina wanted to improve their quality of life and moved to Nir Oz. They lived in the kibbutz for 13 years until October 7,” his brother said. “They had a wonderful life and raised a model family.”

He added that the family plans to hold a motorcycle procession at the funeral because Ronen was a passionate motorcyclist.

Ronen’s daughter Mika wrote in an Instagram post after receiving the news of her father’s return from Gaza: “After 744 days, my father finally came back to Israel. This is not the ending we hoped for or wished for – but it finally happened. Our hearts are with the families of the remaining hostages. We won’t stop until every last abducted person is returned.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, “Ronen was born and raised in Tel Aviv, but in 2010 decided to leave the urban landscape for the fields of the western Negev and raise his children in the kibbutz. He volunteered as a Magen David Adom medic, loved nature and the land, and rode his motorcycle along every trail in Israel. Ronen had the soul of an artist – whether as a talented photographer with a unique eye or as someone who restored junk and gave it new life. He used to say, ‘One person’s trash becomes another person’s treasure.’”

Kibbutz Nir Oz added, “Ronen was a devoted father, an animal lover, an optimistic person who always saw the bright side, cheerful and smiling. He loved hiking and off-road riding, collecting vintage items, and above all – he was a true friend. Ronen worked as a water engineer and in the kibbutz was involved in poultry farming and restoring vintage furniture and objects.”

Under the current agreement, the bodies of 12 out of 28 abducted Israelis who were killed have been returned to Israel for burial. Sixteen abducted Israelis who were killed remain held in Gaza. Yesterday, the body of Eliyahu Margalit was returned. Last Wednesday, Hamas transferred the coffins of Inbar Haiman and Master Sergeant Muhammad al-Atrash. Earlier, the bodies of Guy Ilouz, Bipin Joshi, Yossi Sharabi, Captain Daniel Peretz, Uriel Baruch, Sergeant Tamir Nimrodi, and Eitan Levy were returned.

A few days ago, Hamas claimed it had fulfilled its part of the agreement to return all hostages, living and deceased, that it could access. However, an Israeli official told Kan News this week that, “according to assessments, Hamas can return a double-digit number of bodies of abducted Israelis.” He added that Hamas is not making sufficient efforts to return them despite knowing where they are buried in Gaza.

Israel has expressed outrage at Hamas’ violation of the agreement and has so far blocked the reopening of the Rafah crossing. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened the terrorist organization that if it does not fulfill its commitments, he will allow Israel to resume military operations in the Gaza Strip.