What Sudthisak's return means

The return on Dec 10 of the remains of Sudthisak Rinthalak, the last Thai national abducted by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023, closes a painful circle; but it does not close the wound.

- ALONA FISHER-KAMM

The flags of Thailand and Israel are displayed next to a photo of Sudthisak Rinthalak, the last Thai national abducted by Hamas on Oct 7, 2023. COURTESY OF EMBASSY OF ISRAEL IN THAILAND.

(COURTESY OF EMBASSY OF ISRAEL IN THAILAND)

His return is not only a moment of relief but a moment of remembrance. It forces us to confront, once again, the human cost of the massacre carried out by Hamas on that dark day.Forty-seven Thai nationals were murdered during the Oct 7 attack and in its immediate aftermath. Twenty-eight were abducted into Gaza and later released. Others were injured, physically and emotionally, in an act of brutality that spared no distinction of nationality, religion or belief.

All the Thai victims, like tens of thousands of other Thai workers, came to Israel to support their families and secure their future. The government of Israel has assumed full responsibility for the future of all Thai victims' families. This is not only a practical duty; it is a deeply moral one.