Israel announces the recovery of the body of a Thai prisoner from Rafah.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes in Gaza, said that the Israeli army recovered the body of a Thai citizen in a "special operation" in the city of Rafah (southern Gaza Strip), claiming he was "killed in captivity."

Netanyahu's office added that the Thai citizen was identified as Ntabonga Pinta, and that he was allegedly killed in captivity by fighters from the "Mujahideen Brigades," and that his body was recovered in a "special operation" in the Gaza Strip.

According to Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, Benta's body was recovered "in a special operation by the army and the Shin Bet (internal security service) in the Rafah area," adding that he was captured from the Nir Oz settlement adjacent to the Gaza Strip during the October 7, 2023, attack.

Katz explained that the captive was a farmer of Thai origin who came to Israel "in search of a better life," as he put it, repeating the phrase, "We will not rest until all the living kidnapped and the bodies of the dead are returned to the country."

For their part, the families of the Israeli prisoners in Gaza stated that "the war will not end with an Israeli victory without the return of all the kidnapped individuals," and called on decision-makers to reach an agreement that would return all the remaining detainees in the Strip.

Netanyahu announced on Thursday that the bodies of two prisoners held in Gaza had been recovered in an operation carried out by the army and Shin Bet security service on the evening of June 4 in Khan Yunis, south of the Strip. He said the two men were captured from the settlement of Nir Oz, claiming they were killed in the attack on October 7, 2023.

Last January, the Israeli army announced that it had found the body of prisoner Youssef al-Zayadneh in a tunnel in Rafah. The prisoner was also captured on October 7, 2023, and was claimed to have been killed while in captivity.

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) has repeatedly affirmed its willingness to release Israeli prisoners in one batch in exchange for an end to the war of extermination, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

But Netanyahu insists on partial deals and evades by proposing new conditions, including the disarmament of Palestinian factions. He is currently insisting on reoccupying Gaza.

The Israeli opposition and prisoners' families assert that Netanyahu is continuing the war in deference to the more extreme right-wing faction within his government, in order to advance his personal political interests, particularly his continued rule.