Back to Israel
Finally Home: Second Slain Thai Hostage Identified as Sonthaya Oakkharasr
Israeli authorities confirm identification of Thai worker Sonthaya Oakkharasr's remains, murdered on October 7 and returned from Gaza as part of ongoing hostage agreement.
Israeli authorities have confirmed the identification of the remains of Sonthaya Oakkharasr, a Thai national who was murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7, 2023, massacre and whose body was subsequently taken captive to Gaza.
Military representatives informed Oakkharasr’s family today, Sunday, after forensic experts completed the identification process on remains returned by Hamas last night as part of the ongoing agreement. The 30-year-old agricultural worker's death was officially confirmed by the military in May 2024.
Oakkharasr's return marks the second set of deceased hostage remains to be confirmed and identified from the recent transfer from Gaza. The return of the bodies is a key component of the current mediated agreement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement sharing in the family's pain.
"The IDF shares in the family’s grief, continues to invest all efforts in bringing back the fallen hostages, and is preparing for the continued implementation of the agreement," the military stated.
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) also issued a formal statement, extending the country's condolences.
"Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Oakkharasr family, of the Thai people, and of all the families of the fallen hostages," the PMO said.
The government underscored its commitment to the recovery effort, stating that Israel is "determined, committed, and working tirelessly" to bring back all the slain hostages for proper burial. The statement added that Hamas is "required to fulfill its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement."
Sonthaya Oakkharasr was one of dozens of Thai agricultural workers targeted by Hamas terrorists during the initial assault on southern Israel. His body, along with that of fellow Thai worker Sudthisak Rinthalak, was taken into Gaza after they were both murdered at Kibbutz Be'eri. Their deaths highlighted the indiscriminate brutality of the attacks, which targeted foreign nationals working in Israeli border communities.