Body of Thai hostage recovered from Gaza, Israel says

Israel has retrieved the assemblage of a Thai nationalist taken hostage during the Hamas-led onslaught successful October 2023, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says.

He said the assemblage of Nattapong Pinta was retrieved during a peculiar cognition successful the Rafah country of confederate Gaza connected Friday. The 35-year-old was moving arsenic an cultivation labourer successful confederate Israel erstwhile helium was kidnapped.

Mr Nattapong is apt to person been killed during his archetypal months of captivity, an Israeli subject authoritative said. Before the operation, it was not known whether helium was dormant oregon alive.

It comes aft the Israeli service recovered the bodies of 2 Israeli Americans successful Gaza earlier this week.

Mr Nattapong was the joined begetter of a young son, the subject authoritative said. He had been moving astatine Kibbutz Nir Oz to enactment his household successful Thailand erstwhile helium was captured by a militant radical called the Mujahideen Brigades.

The Israel Defense Forces said successful a connection that the ngo to retrieve his assemblage was launched pursuing accusation from the interrogation of a "captured terrorist".

After reports of his betterment connected Saturday, the BBC tried to scope retired to Mr Nattapong's wife. She did not reply the telephone but texted backmost with a representation of her lad crying.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum run radical said the betterment comes aft "20 unspeakable and agonising months of devastating uncertainty".

The radical urged the Israeli authorities to scope an statement with Hamas to escaped the remaining captives.

Mr Nattapong is believed to beryllium the past remaining Thai nationalist abducted during the 7 October 2023 attack. Five Thai hostages were released during a ceasefire earlier this year - each of them alive.

The Israeli service retrieved the bodies of an aged couple, Judy and Gadi Haggai, successful the Gazan metropolis of Khan Younis connected Thursday.

The mates were killed astatine the aforesaid kibbutz and their bodies were besides held by the Mujahideen Brigades, according to the IDF.

Meanwhile, determination has been different shooting incidental adjacent a US-backed assistance organisation centre successful the confederate Gaza Strip.

Six Palestinians were killed and respective wounded by Israeli gunfire portion gathering to cod nutrient supplies connected Saturday, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.

The Israeli subject said it fired informing shots astatine suspects who approached them successful a threatening manner.

Dozens of Palestinians person been killed and hundreds injured trying to attack the organisation centre this week.

The organisation moving it, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, said it had paused operations to woody with overcrowding and amended safety.

Following a three-month blockade, Israel began to let constricted assistance into Gaza successful the past week oregon so.

It is astir 20 months since Israel launched a subject run successful Gaza successful effect to the Hamas-led cross-border attack, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At slightest 54,677 radical person been killed successful Gaza during the war, according to the territory's wellness ministry.

Some 54 of those captured during the onslaught by Hamas connected 7 October, 2023 stay successful captivity, including 31 the Israeli subject says are dead.