Israel identifies body of returned hostage as Thai national

Israel has identified the remains of the hostage it received from Hamas on Wednesday as Thai agricultural worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, the prime minister's office said on Thursday.

The body of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last of the living and deceased hostages to be returned, is still in Gaza.

The handover of the last hostages' bodies in Gaza would complete a key condition of the initial part of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the two-year Gaza war.

Rinthalak's body was transferred from Gaza by the Red Cross, and was handed over to the Israeli military to be sent for forensic identification, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

Rinthalak, 42, was killed at Kibbutz Be’eri during Hamas' attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Hamas agreed to hand over all living and deceased hostages held in Gaza under a ceasefire agreed in October. Since the fragile truce started, the Palestinian militant group has returned all 20 living hostages and 27 bodies in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian detainees and convicted prisoners.

Missile attack on encampment

Violence has tailed off since the October 10 ceasefire but Israel has continued to strike Gaza and conduct demolitions against what it says is Hamas infrastructure. Hamas and Israel have traded blame for violating the U.S.-backed agreement.

Medics at Khan Younis' Al-Kuwaiti Hospital said they recovered the bodies of five Palestinians, including two children, after an Israeli missile attack on Wednesday evening at an encampment in western Khan Younis.

The Israeli military said its strike in Khan Younis targeted a "Hamas terrorist," without providing further details. It said the attack came in response to an attack on its troops in Rafah earlier on Wednesday that wounded five soldiers.

Hamas said the Israeli attack was a "disregard to the ceasefire agreement," adding Israel had "full responsibility" for the consequences of the escalation.

Health officials at Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza said earlier on Wednesday that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City. The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

More than 350 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, Gaza health authorities say. Palestinian militants killed three Israeli soldiers during this time, Israeli authorities said.