On Sunday morning, military representatives informed the families of the murdered hostages Ronen Engel (54 years old) and Thai citizen Sonthaya Oukarsri (30 years old) that their bodies were returned to Israel by Hamas the previous evening and identified by forensic experts, reports The Times of Israel.
Engel was killed on October 7, 2023, in Kibbutz Nir Oz, his wife Karina and their daughters Mika and Yuval were kidnapped alive by Hamas and released from Gaza as part of a ceasefire agreement.
A farm worker from Thailand, Oukarsri, was killed by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri on the morning of October 7, and his body was taken to Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces. His death was officially confirmed by the military in May 2024.
This is the fifth transfer of hostage bodies to Israel.
According to Israeli authorities, the remains of 16 hostages are still held in the Gaza Strip. Under the current agreement, for each deceased hostage's body, Israel transfers to Gaza the bodies of 15 militants killed during the attack on October 7, 2023.
Israel accuses Hamas of violating the terms of the agreement — the transfer of bodies is delayed. In response, Israeli authorities have reduced the amount of humanitarian aid entering the sector and have not yet opened the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt.