A poignant moment of closure and sorrow has arrived for the family of Ronen Engel, an Israeli hostage who was killed in Gaza. His daughter, Mika, expressed her deep emotions on Instagram, stating, “It’s not what we hoped, it’s not what we wished for him, but it’s finally here.”
Ronen Engel, 54, a photographer and volunteer ambulance driver for Magen David Adom, was among the latest to be returned. His remains, along with those of Sonthaya Akrasri, a 30-year-old Thai agricultural worker, were recovered by Hamas on Saturday. Both were tragically killed during the attack on October 7, 2023, and their bodies were subsequently taken to Gaza. They are the 11th and 12th of the 28 deceased hostages to be returned under the terms of the recent ceasefire agreement.
Engel’s wife, Karina Engel-Bart, and their two teenage daughters were also taken hostage but were thankfully released in November 2023 during a temporary truce. Tragically, the IDF later confirmed Ronen Engel’s death in captivity. Friends and loved ones remember him as a man with “hands of gold and the soul of an artist.”
Sonthaya Akrasri, a father of a seven-year-old daughter, was killed on October 7 while working at Kibbutz Be’eri. His death was announced by Thailand’s foreign ministry in May 2024. His family had hoped he would return to Thailand to open his own farm.
The delayed return of deceased hostages has sparked significant outrage in Israel, particularly as the ceasefire deal aimed to secure the return of all hostages, living and deceased. Hamas has indicated difficulties in locating all remaining bodies amidst the extensive rubble in Gaza. In response, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has ordered the closure of the Rafah border crossing, stating its reopening is contingent on the full return of hostage remains and adherence to the ceasefire terms. This closure impacts essential humanitarian access for Palestinians.
The Israeli military has emphasized Hamas’s responsibility to “uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the hostages.” The US has, however, downplayed concerns of a ceasefire breach, viewing the situation with a degree of understanding.
The precise details of the ceasefire agreement have not been publicly disclosed, but reports suggest it may have accounted for potential challenges in accessing all deceased hostages immediately. Hamas attributes the difficulties to Israeli air strikes that have devastated Gaza, hindering recovery efforts, while Israel maintains that heavy machinery is necessary but restricted.
The United Nations’ humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, described Gaza as a “wasteland,” highlighting the immense human toll and the ongoing struggle for survivors to find basic necessities and remnants of their lives.
In addition to the return of deceased hostages, the ceasefire deal facilitated the release of 20 living hostages by Hamas and saw Israel free 250 Palestinian prisoners, along with 1,718 detainees from Gaza. Tragically, in a separate incident, 11 members of a Palestinian family were killed by an Israeli tank shell, marking one of the deadliest single events involving Israeli forces in Gaza since the ceasefire began. Investigations into the precise circumstances are ongoing.
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