IDF Confirms Transfer: Coffin of Fallen Hostage Crosses Border for Critical Identification Process

A Coffin Crosses the Border Amid Uncertainty

A coffin containing the remains of a fallen hostage was transferred to Israeli territory today, heading to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification. The transfer, facilitated by the Red Cross, followed an earlier announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office that Israel was preparing to receive the remains after the Islamic Jihad terror group claimed to have located a body in the northern Gaza area.

However, the process is fraught with painful uncertainty. Just yesterday, terror organizations in the Gaza area handed over remains that, following forensic examination, were confirmed not to belong to the two remaining Israeli hostages held by the Hamas terror group.

The complexity of the situation was highlighted by the uncle of Ran Gvili, one of the two remaining hostages, who stated to Israeli radio that the family had received indications from Israeli intelligence that the body currently being returned "is probably not the hostage who was returned."

The two hostages whose remains are still held in Gaza are Ran Gvili and Suththisak Rinthalak, a Thai national.

The Fallen: Ran Gvili and Suththisak Rinthalak

Ran Gvili, 24, from Meitar, was a fighter in the Israeli Police's Negev District special patrol unit (Yassam). He was killed while fighting Hamas terrorists near Kibbutz Alumim, but his body was abducted into the Gaza Strip.

On October 7th, Gvili left his home and fought bravely against terrorists near the Nova music festival, neutralizing many of them. He was wounded by gunfire before being taken into Gaza. His family was later informed by the IDF that he was no longer alive. Ran is survived by his parents, Tali and Yitzhak, and his siblings, Omri and Shira.

Since the beginning of the hostage deal last October, the Gvili family has been praying for his return. Ran's mother shared the agonizing emotional toll: "We have a jumble of feelings, fears, hope, apprehension, stress. They tell us efforts are being made and they are searching, but there isn't much information. We hope it will be soon."

She noted that the security situation and international developments exacerbate their fears: "There is a greater-than-ever concern that maybe this won't happen. We still hold a small hope; we are realistic, but the hope exists. Deep down, we want to believe Ran received medical treatment and survived. We are waiting for a miracle."

The second captive is Suththisak Rinthalak, an agricultural worker from Thailand. He was abducted on October 7th and subsequently murdered in Hamas captivity. His elderly parents, aged 73 and 75, are still waiting for his return to say a respectful goodbye. Suththisak, the younger of two brothers, came to Israel in 2017 and was known as a dedicated and beloved worker. He was abducted with other foreign workers, and he remains the only one among them still in captivity.

His father, Thongma Rinthalak, said in interviews: "He only wanted to work and send money home. We knew the work in Israel was hard, but he was proud of himself. When we realized he was abducted, we prayed for his return alive, but in our hearts, we felt he was already gone. I don't know who the people still held there are, but I ask that they return everyone. They are simple people who came to work. They did not deserve to die like this. We all just wanted a better life."

This somber development follows the return of the remains of Dror Or last week, who was buried earlier this week next to his wife, Yonat, who was murdered on October 7th at Kibbutz Be’eri.