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Israel holds farewell ceremony for slain Thai worker

At Ben-Gurion Airport, Gal Hirsch, Israel’s hostage affairs coordinator, reaffirmed Israel’s pledge to recover the body of the last hostage, Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, still held in Gaza.

Relatives and friends of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak mourn next to his coffin during a farewell ceremony before being flown to Thailand for burial, at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, Dec. 9, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.
Relatives and friends of Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak mourn next to his coffin during a farewell ceremony before being flown to Thailand for burial, at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, Dec. 9, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Israel on Tuesday held a farewell ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport for Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai agricultural worker who was killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas invasion of southern Israel and whose body was recently repatriated.

The event was attended by Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons; the ambassadors of Israel and Thailand; senior Foreign Ministry officials; and representatives of the Hostages and Missing Persons Headquarters and the Eshkol Regional Council.

Hirsch, speaking on behalf of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, conveyed condolences to Rinthalak’s family and the Thai nation, noting Israel’s ongoing support for the victims’ families and its efforts to secure the return of all remaining hostages, including Thai citizens.

He also reaffirmed Israel’s “full commitment” to retrieving the remains of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, believed to be the last fallen hostage still held by Hamas in Gaza.

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