Kidnapping and killing of Nattapong Pinta

Nattapong Pinta (Thai: นัทพงษ์ พินตา; c. 1988/1989 – c. late 2023/early 2024) was a Thai agricultural worker who was abducted and murdered by the Mujahideen Brigades, a Palestinian militant group, during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Pinta was one of 31 Thai nationals taken hostage during the assault on Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza Strip, where he worked in avocado fields. His body was recovered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in June 2025, marking the closure of Thailand's search for its last unaccounted-for hostage from the attack.^[1]

Nattapong Pinta, also known as "Nick," was born in Phrae province, northern Thailand, around 1988 or 1989. He was married to Narissara Chanthasang (also spelled Jantasang) and had a son, Weerapat, born around 2014. Seeking better economic opportunities, Pinta moved to Israel in 2022 to work as an agricultural laborer at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a farming community near the Gaza border^[2]. His earnings, significantly higher than in Thailand, were intended to pay off family debts and support his wife's dream of opening a coffee shop.

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, a Fatah-affiliated group allied with Hamas, stormed the area. At approximately 6:30 a.m., Pinta called his wife, reporting gunfire and his attempt to flee, before communication was cut off. He was one of 251 hostages taken to Gaza, including 31 Thai nationals, the largest group of foreign workers abducted. Pinta was held in southern Gaza, likely in Rafah, by the Mujahideen Brigades. Israeli intelligence later determined he was murdered in captivity, possibly in late 2023 or early 2024, though his status remained uncertain for over 20 months, causing significant distress for his family.

On June 7, 2025, the IDF and Shin Bet conducted a targeted operation in Rafah, recovering Pinta's body based on intelligence from a detained Gazan militant. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz described the operation as a "special military effort", his body was then taken to the Abu Kabir forensic institute and confirmed Pinta had been "brutally murdered" by his captors^[3]. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum expressed solidarity with Pinta's family and called for the release of all remaining captives. Pinta's body was repatriated to Thailand on June 11, 2025, arriving in Bangkok for a ceremony attended by Thai officials, with flowers and prayers marking national mourning. His remains were then transported to Phrae for burial, where his wife and son, mourned his loss. His wife shared a photograph of his son crying upon learning of his father's death, highlighting the family's grief. His recovery marked the resolution of Thailand's search for its last unaccounted-for hostage from the October 7 attack^[4].