Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on October 7, 2023
Israel says it has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage kidnapped into Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Prime Minister's office said on Saturday (June 7, 2025) that the body of Thai citizen Nattapong Pinta was returned to Israel in a special military operation.
Pinta was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity near the start of the war, said the government. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive by Hamas militants.
This comes a day after the bodies of two Israeli-American hostages were retrieved.
Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza, of whom Israel says more than half are dead.
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Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Body of Thai hostage retrieved from Gaza, says Israeli defence minister
The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday, as Israeli airstrikes killed 55 people, according to local medics. Nattapong Pinta's body was held by a Palestinian militant group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified. Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid group, said on Saturday it was unable to distribute assistance to Palestinian civilians, blaming threats by Hamas, which Gaza's dominant militant group denied. Israel's military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week. There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive. The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase. The military said on Saturday it had killed As'ad Abu Sharaiya, who served as the head of the Mujahideen, but there was no confirmation from the group. Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as U.S., Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered. Medics in Gaza said 55 people in total were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the enclave on Saturday. At least 15 Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded by airstrikes in the Gaza City district of Sabra in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, local health authorities said. More than one missile landed in the area. The target seemed to have been a multi-floor residential building, but the explosion damaged several other houses nearby, according to witnesses and media. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. It later warned people to evacuate the nearby district of Jabalia, saying it was going to strike there after rockets were launched by militants in the vicinity. The Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday that Gaza's hospitals only had fuel for three more days and that Israel was denying access for international relief agencies to areas where fuel storages designated for hospitals are located. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military or COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had uncovered 'an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center from which senior Hamas commanders' operated beneath the European Hospital compound in southern Gaza. It added that it had located several bodies of militants whose identities were 'under examination'. The Israeli government and military said last month it had killed Mohammad Sinwar, Hamas' Gaza chief, but Hamas did not confirm his death. The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza's 2.3 million people are at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling. Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the GHF said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. The GHF, which has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations for alleged lack of neutrality, said it was unable to distribute any humanitarian aid on Saturday because Hamas had issued 'direct threats' against its operations. 'These threats made it impossible to proceed today without putting innocent lives at risk,' the GHF said in a statement in which it also said it intended to resume aid distribution 'without delay'. A Hamas official told Reuters he had no knowledge of such 'alleged threats'. On Wednesday, the GHF suspended operations and asked the Israeli military to review security protocols after Palestinian hospital officials said more than 80 people had been shot dead and hundreds wounded near distribution points between June 1-3. Eyewitnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on two days, while on Tuesday it said soldiers had fired at Palestinian 'suspects' who were advancing towards their positions. The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to the U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Why Ukraine's Daring Drone Strike In Russia Has Set Off Alarm Bells In US: ‘We Are Vulnerable'
Last Updated: Among the most glaring examples is Andersen Air Force Base on Guam which, despite hosting some of the world's most expensive aircraft, lacks hardened shelters. A Ukrainian drone attack that damaged or destroyed over a dozen Russian warplanes jolted the United States as it exposed deep vulnerabilities at home and abroad. Top US defense officials are now warning that American air bases, including those on US soil, are largely 'unhardened" owing to which high-value aircraft are dangerously exposed to similar drone or missile strikes, as per a CNN report. 'This is an eyebrow-raising moment," said Gen. David Allvin, the US Air Force chief of staff, speaking at a defense forum in Washington this week, adding, 'There is no sanctuary, even in the US homeland." 'We Are Vulnerable', Say US Generals Retired US Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal told CNN, 'We are pretty vulnerable. We've got a lot of high-value assets that are extraordinarily expensive." A 2024 report by the Hudson Institute co-authored by defense expert Thomas Shugart laid out the scale of the threat. In a conflict scenario with China, for instance, the People's Liberation Army could target US aircraft 'at airfields globally, including in the continental United States," using missiles, aircraft, subs, and even special forces. 'The overwhelming majority of US aircraft losses would likely occur on the ground," the report stated, warning the outcome could be 'ruinous." Among the most glaring examples is Andersen Air Force Base on Guam which, despite hosting some of the world's most expensive aircraft, lacks hardened shelters. A New Era of Threats The drone strike on Russia has shown that even technologically modest adversaries can now launch highly effective precision strikes using cheap, portable systems. For the US, that's a wake-up call, McChrystal said, adding, 'It widens the spectrum of the threats you've got to deal with." About the Author Mallika Soni When not reading, this ex-literature student can be found searching for an answer to the question, "What is the purpose of journalism in society?" Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘US stands firmly with India': Shashi Tharoor-led delegation meets top US officials; discusses Operation Sindoor
Shashi Tharoor led all-party delegation with US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau (Picture credit: X/@Tejasvi_Surya) NEW DELHI: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor , leading an all-party parliamentary delegation to the United States, briefed key American officials on the escalating threat of cross-border terrorism faced by India and the country's strong counter-response through Operation Sindoor . According to an official statement issued by the Embassy of India in the US, the delegation met deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau and held a wide-ranging conversation on regional security and India-US bilateral cooperation. The delegation informed the US official about the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 people were killed and several injured, and outlined India's subsequent military operation launched on May 7. "The delegation briefed him on the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, discussed India's subsequent Operation Sindoor, and put forth India's firm resolve to counter cross-border terrorism in all its forms," the Embassy said in a statement. — IndianEmbassyUS (@IndianEmbassyUS) The deputy secretary of state reaffirmed the United States' 'strong support' to India in its fight against terrorism, the statement added. The discussions also included avenues to deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas of shared interest. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo Tharoor also engaged with members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In separate meetings with Senator Chris Van Hollen and a phone call with Senator Cory Booker, the delegation shared insights on India's security challenges and military actions. 'Senator Van Hollen expressed deep sympathy for India and reaffirmed that the US stands firmly with India in the fight against terrorism,' BJP MP Tejasvi Surya posted on X following the meeting. Congress MP Tharoor also said on X that he had a "warm & productive" conversation with Senator Cory Booker. 'Outlined the repeated provocations of terrorism emanating from across the border, laid out the details of Operation Sindoor, and emphasized India's firm resolve in countering any future acts of terrorism,' Tharoor wrote. The delegation participated in a special dinner hosted by the Indian Ambassador, where former envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu said on X, 'Delighted to meet so many old friends and supporters of India-US partnership at Ambassador's dinner.' Tharoor also addressed the US media at the National Press Club in Washington in a session moderated by Indian-American journalist Poonam Sharma. 'A lively session... spanned a wide range of issues related to Operation Sindoor and India's actions against terrorism,' he wrote. The all-party delegation includes MPs from various political parties: Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayogi (TDP), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejasvi Surya, and Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), and Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), along with former Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu. India launched Operation Sindoor as a direct response to the Pahalgam attack, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Over 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed.
