A woman holds a poster with the photo of the Nepali, Bipin Joshi, while others surround his coffin before his body is repatriated to Nepal, a few days after his release by Hamas as part of a cease-fire and hostage exchange agreement in Gaza, at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on Oct. 19, 2025. (Credit: Fadel Senna/ AFP)
Israeli authorities have identified the second body returned on Saturday by Hamas as that of the Thai national Sonthaya Oakkharasri, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday.
The government “remains determined, committed, and is working tirelessly to repatriate all deceased hostages,” the statement added.
The death of Sonthaya Oakkharasri had been announced on May 17, 2024, the day he would have celebrated his 31st birthday. This Thai national was an agricultural worker at Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel when he was killed during Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Oct. 7, 2023. His body was subsequently transported to Gaza.
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