This has been a week of sorrow for the people of Israel; the bodies of three hostages were recovered from Gaza in two special military operations, while four soldiers were killed and five more were wounded in a booby-trapped building. Two key terrorists were eliminated as well.
IDF and ISA (Shin Bet) forces have recovered the body of a hostage kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and murdered by Gaza terrorists on October 7, 2023. The body of Thai citizen Pinta Natapong was recovered and returned to Israel this weekend in a special joint operation by the IDF and ISA.
The bodies of Judi Lynn Weinstein Hagai (70) and Gad Hagai (72) were recovered Wednesday night in a special operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Judi and Gad were murdered on October 7 during their daily walk in the fields of Nir Oz, and their bodies were then dragged into Gaza by their killers.
The bodies of numerous hostages have been recovered from Khan Younis, a major terrorist hub in southern Gaza, and the same area in which the IDF eliminated Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar, as well as his older brother and predecessor, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
On Friday, four Israeli soldiers were killed and five more were wounded – including one with critical injuries and four with moderate wounds – during operations in Khan Younis. The incident took place during a search for terror tunnels at around 6 am Friday, when terrorists detonated an IED in a booby-trapped building.
Also this weekend, the leader of the Kataib al-Mujahideen terrorist organization and one of his key were eliminated in Gaza City.
Body of Thai Hostage Recovered
Natapong, a husband and father of a young child, was kidnapped alive and murdered while in captivity by the Kataib al-Mujahideen terrorist organization. His family, in Thailand, was updated Saturday morning by the Thai Embassy and the coordinator of the IDF, Brigadier General (ret) Gal Hirsch.
“Together with all the citizens of Israel, we extend our condolences to Natapong’s family and the Thai people,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
“Great thanks and appreciation to our brave commanders and fighters for the important and successful operation. We will not rest or be silent until we return all our abductees home, the living and the deceased alike.”
Pinta Natapong left his wife, Narissara, and their young son, Wirapat, in Thailand to work in agriculture in Israel, “hoping to give them a better future and fulfill their dream of opening a family coffee shop in Thailand,” President Isaac Herzog noted in a separate statement.
“But that dream was tragically and painfully cut short . . . This morning, we received the painful news that his body was recovered last night in a courageous operation by the IDF and Shin Bet,” the president said.
“The State of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of Natapong’s family and of the entire Thai people. Fifty-five hostages are still being held in the hell of captivity in Gaza — in a horrific crime against humanity — and we must continue doing everything possible to bring every one of them home immediately, until the last!”
Kataib al-Mujahideen Leader Eliminated
The head of the Kataib al-Mujahideen terrorist organization, As’ad Abu Sharaiya, was eliminated by Israeli forces early Saturday in Gaza City.
Sharaiya, one of the leaders of the October 7 massacre, infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz on that day and was directly involved in the abduction and murder of Shiri, Ariel and baby Kfir Bibas, dual US-Israeli citizens Judi Lynn Weinstein Hagai and Gad Hagai, and Pinta Natapong, along with another foreign national who is still being held captive.
Sharaiya was also responsible for recruiting terrorist operatives in Judea and Samaria and in Israel, through whom he advanced and carried out terror attacks and terrorist activity. Throughout the war, Kataib al-Mujahideen under his leadership was involved in orchestrating terror attacks against the State of Israel and in combat against IDF troops operating in Gaza.
In an additional IDF and ISA strike, the Mujahideen terrorist Mahmoud Muhammad Hamid Kuhail, who also infiltrated Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th was eliminated as well. Kuhail was one of the terrorists responsible for holding Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas captive in Gaza.
Mujahideen terrorists were significant participants in the murderous October 7th massacre, killing and kidnapping Israelis and other nationals, acting as an extension of Hamas and utilizing its terrorist framework within Israeli territory.
