Sonthaya Oakkharasr, 31, is the deceased hostage whose remains were returned to Israel overnight Saturday. Oakkharasr was a Thai agricultural worker in Kibbutz Be'eri, approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the Gaza border, and was murdered during the Oct. 7 massacre, then taken to the Gaza Strip.
The Prime Minister's Office stated, "IDF representatives informed the family of hostage Sonthaya Oakkharasr, of blessed memory, that their loved one has been returned to Israel and his identification has been completed. The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Oakkharasr family, the people of Thailand and all the families of the fallen hostages. The Government and the entire establishment for the missing and the captives of the State of Israel are determined, committed, and working tirelessly to return all of our fallen hostages for proper burial in their country. The Hamas terrorist organization is required to uphold its commitments to the mediators and return them as part of the implementation of the agreement. We will not compromise on this and will spare no effort until we return all of the fallen hostages, every last one of them. May his memory be for a blessing.
🟡Following the completion of the identification process, the additional deceased hostage who was returned is Suntaya Akrasi.
According to the information and intelligence available to the IDF: Suntaya Akrasi, a Thai citizen, was murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization on… pic.twitter.com/y4yR2JemMa
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 19, 2025
The IDF Spokesperson stated, "Following the completion of the identification process, the additional deceased hostage who was returned is Sonthaya Oakkharasr. According to the information and intelligence available to the IDF: Sonthaya Oakkharasr, a Thai citizen, was murdered by the Hamas terrorist organization on October 7th, 2023, and his body was taken into Gaza. Oakkharasr, 30 years old at the time of his death, was abducted from the orchards of Kibbutz Be'eri. His death was pronounced on May 16th, 2024. The IDF expresses deep condolences to the family, and continues to make every effort to return all the deceased hostages. Hamas is required to fulfill its part of the agreement and make the necessary efforts to return all the hostages to their families and to a dignified burial."
In an interview Oakkharasr's mother gave to BBC in 2024, she described receiving a phone call when she took the buffalo to the field. "I received a phone call from a foreign number starting with a plus sign. I was happy, I thought perhaps there was good news. But when I learned it was bad news, we just stood there, my husband and I, we held hands and cried together in the middle of the field."
Oakkharasr was among eight Thai hostages abducted on October 7, 2023, by Hamas. The call the family received from an Israeli Foreign Ministry official on May 16, 2024, was only official confirmation that their eldest son was killed on the day of the massacre, when Hamas attacked the agricultural area in Israel where he worked and was captured. He was supposed to complete his five-year work contract in October 2023 and return to his village home but never made it.
The statement from the Hostages, Returnees and Missing Persons Administration in the Prime Minister's Office stated, "The Hostages, Returnees and Missing Persons Administration in the Prime Minister's Office bows its head and shares the grief of the Engel family, with the return for burial in Israel of Ronen, may his memory be blessed, and also in the grief of the family of Thai citizen Sonthaya Oakkharasr, may his memory be blessed. The Administration will continue to accompany their families, together with the other families. We long for the swift return home of all the remaining 16 hostages."
