Israeli military retrieves body of Thai hostage from Gaza, defense minister says
Israel's defense minister said on Saturday that Israeli forces retrieved from the Gaza Strip the body of a Thai national taken hostage during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.
Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that 'following a special operation' in the Rafah area of southern Gaza, the body of Nattapong Pinta, 'who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, was returned to Israel.'
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Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Libya once again in the abyss of despair
On May 12, Tripoli experienced widespread clashes between rival militias as Libya became the arena for the type of blood-letting and public disorder that recalled the horrors of civil conflicts and war that have devastated the country for more than a decade. Both parts of the divided country, led by rival authorities in Tobruk and Tripoli, are overrun by militias. The administration in the east, headed by the House of Representatives in Tobruk, is supported by the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, commanded by Khalifa Haftar. His army controls political and financial institutions. Haftar's forces also control Libya's oil-producing areas in the east that produce 1.2 million barrels a day. Oil revenues, which are deposited in the Central Bank of Libya, account for 97 percent of the government revenues required to pay for official expenses, salaries, and imports. The latest turbulence has occurred in the west of the country, which is administered by the Government of National Unity headed by acting Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Tripoli is home to three powerful militias: the Stability Support Authority; the Special Deterrence Force, also known as Radaa; and the 444 Brigade. In early May, Dbeibah called for the dismantling of these militias. On May 12, after heavy fighting, the head of the Stability Support Authority, Abdulghani Kikli, was killed. He was the most powerful militia chief in Tripoli, controlling internal security and managing cash transfers from the central bank. Following his death, militias affiliated with Dbeibah, in particular the 444 Brigade, took over the assets of the Stability Support Authority, consolidating Dbeibah's hold on power. Beginning on May 16, however, popular protests started to take place in Tripoli demanding Dbeibah's resignation. The demonstrators held him responsible for the power enjoyed by the militias, and for their own dire security and living conditions. After the protests were quelled by the security forces, Dbeibah took credit for 'ending the rule of militia and building a state of law.' The latest violence in Tripoli has highlighted the fragility of a binary political order in Libya that has enfeebled state institutions, weaned predatory political leaders, and encouraged lawlessness and violence in the broken polity. It has also placed Libya at the center of regional human-trafficking networks. The International Organization for Migration estimates that in January and February this year more than 700,000 migrants from 44 countries were waiting in Libya to make perilous sea journeys to Europe. The latest violence in Tripoli has highlighted the fragility of a binary political order in Libya that has enfeebled state institutions. Talmiz Ahmad The rival leaders in Tripoli and Tobruk enjoy the support of one of two major external powers: Turkiye backs Tripoli, while Russia backs Tobruk. Turkiye has provided the Government of National Unity with armored vehicles, air defense systems, armed drones, and artillery. Meanwhile, during a military parade in Benghazi on May 26, Haftar flaunted Russian-supplied weaponry that included air defense systems, helicopters, tanks, military trucks, rocket systems, and infantry fighting vehicles. The parade served to showcase his military prowess, and supported the Libyan Arab Armed Forces' claim to be the legitimate national army. While Libya's leaders enrich themselves and feud with each other, their backers, Turkiye and Russia, are reaping strategic and economic benefits. Russia already has airbases at Al-Khadim and Al-Shatti, and is said to be looking to establish a Mediterranean naval base, possibly at Tobruk itself. Turkiye's agreement with the Tripoli-based government in 2021 strengthened its claims to the energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean. Since then, the country has obtained lucrative infrastructure contracts from the Tobruk government as well. Russia views Libya as a strategic bridge to the Mediterranean and Africa. In the aftermath of the regime change in Syria, Moscow has targeted Libya as its principal geopolitical center for political, economic, and military outreach in Africa. Its interests on the continent, particularly in the Sahel, are being promoted by the Africa Corps, the successor to the Wagner Group, and are well-served from bases in Libya, particularl Maettan Al-Sarra close to the borders with Chad and Sudan. So far, Turkiye and Russia have been pursuing a policy of 'managed rivalry,' as they have done previously in relation to Syria and the South Caucasus. A recent analysis in an Arabic newspaper contrasted the current lawlessness and violence in western Libya with the unity, discipline, and security provided by Haftar in the east through the elimination of extremists and militias. The author suggested that before seeking free elections and a democratic government, Tripoli needs to establish law and order through a takeover by Haftar's forces and unite the country. Possibly concerned by the corrosive effect of the national divide, Russia and Turkiye just might agree to unify Libya under Haftar. In September last year, there were reports that he was moving his troops to Ghadames, a strategically located oasis with an airport near the border with Tunisia and Algeria. This movement of his armed forces was seen as a precursor to the siege of Tripoli. However, recent history tells us that although in times of disorder and violence military rule might seem alluring, once in power such rule rarely makes way for free and fair elections; instead, it remains entrenched for decades and grows increasingly autocratic, intolerant, and harsh. Libya, sadly, is likely to be the latest example of this historical truth.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza, Airstrikes Kill 95
Israel said Saturday that it had retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as the Israeli military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Nattapong Pinta's body was returned to Israel in a special military operation. Pinta came to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel's government said that he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023. Thailand's foreign ministry reported that the last Thai hostage in Gaza was confirmed dead, and said the bodies of two others are yet to be retrieved. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families were rallying again Saturday evening in Israel, calling for a ceasefire deal that would bring everyone home. Israel's defense minister said that Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The army said that he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas. Many of the agricultural workers lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas fighters overran those places first. A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the war, according to Thailand's foreign ministry. Separately, Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel's military had surrounded the area where he's being held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel's responsibility. Israel's military didn't immediately comment. Israel continues its military offensive Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, one strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital 'Stand up, my love,' one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies. Another strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel said that it was responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Reports say some of the dead tried to get food aid Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said that they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza's population of more than 2 million relies on aid after widespread destruction of agriculture and markets as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine. Israel's army said that despite warnings that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours, several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat." The army said that troops called out, but as the suspects continued advancing, they fired warning shots. An army official who couldn't be named in line with military procedures said that the shots were fired about a kilometer from the distribution site. Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel's military has said that it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching troops. The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants GHF to replace humanitarian groups in Gaza that distribute aid in coordination with the United Nations. A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules, said that it didn't feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid under the UN-led system. The UN and aid groups deny there's significant diversion of aid to militants and say the new system, which they have rejected, allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and won't be effective. The UN says it has been unable to distribute much aid under its own system because of Israeli military restrictions on movements and insecurity. Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha. 'I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,' said the waiting Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. 'I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.' Death tolls since the war began Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Hamas-run Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Al Arabiya
8 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Israel army orders evacuation of northern Gaza neighborhoods
The Israeli military on Saturday called for Gazans to evacuate from neighborhoods in the north of the Gaza Strip, where it said rockets had been fired from.
