Nattapong Pinta | |
|---|---|
 Nattapong Pinta | |
| Born | |
| Died | c. late 2023 – early 2024 Southern Gaza Strip, possiblyRafah |
| Resting place | Thailand |
| Occupation | Agricultural worker |
| Known for | Thai national held hostage byHamas during the2023 Israel–Hamas war |
Nattapong Pinta was a Thai agricultural worker who was abducted and murdered by theMujahideen Brigades, a Palestinian militant group, during theHamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Pinta was one of 31 Thai nationals taken hostage during theassault on Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza Strip, where he worked on an avacado and pomegranate farm.[1] His body was recovered by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) in June 2025, marking the closure of Thailand's search for its last unaccounted-for hostage from the attack.[2]
Nattapong Pinta, also known as "Nick", was born inPhrae province,northern Thailand, around 1988 or 1989. He was married to Narissara Chanthasang,[3] and had a son, Weerapat, aged 9.[4] Seeking better economic opportunities, Pinta moved to Israel in 2022 to work as an agricultural laborer at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a farming community near theGaza border.[5]
On October 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, Pinta was working at Kibbutz Nir Oz when militants, including members of the Mujahideen Brigades, aFatah-affiliated group allied with Hamas, stormed the area.[1] At approximately 6:30 a.m., Pinta called his wife, reporting gunfire.[6] He was one of 251 hostages taken to Gaza.[7] Pinta was held in southern Gaza by the Mujahideen Brigades, who had also murdered theBibas family.[4] Israeli intelligence later determined he was murdered in captivity, though his status remained uncertain for over 20 months, causing significant distress for his family.[8]
On June 7, 2025, theIsrael Defence Forces andIsrael Security Agency conducted a targeted operation in Rafah, recovering Pinta's body based on intelligence from a detained Gazan militant. Israeli Defense MinisterIsrael Katz confirmed the recovery, his body was then taken to theAbu Kabir forensic institute and confirmed Pinta had been "brutally murdered" by his captors.[1][9]The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed solidarity with Pinta's family and called for the release of all remaining captives saying "the return of Nattapong Pinta is a fulfillment of a basic human moral obligation, which will allow his family to close the necessary circle."[10] Pinta's body was taken toBen-Gurion International Airport on June 11, 2025 and put on a flight to Bangkok for repatriation in his home country.[11] His remains were then transported to Phrae for burial.[12][13] His wife shared a photograph of his son crying upon learning of his father's death, highlighting the family's grief.[14]
