Ronen Engel and Sonthaya Oakkharasri were identified as the two hostages whose remains were returned from the Gaza Strip on Saturday night, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed on Sunday morning.
Engel was 54 years old at the time of his death, and left behind a wife, three children, and a brother.
He will be remembered by the kibbutz as "a devoted family man, hopelessly optimistic, with a sense of humor and a joy for life."
Oakkharasri, 30, was returned to Israel after more than 740 days in captivity, Israeli officials confirmed on Sunday afternoon following forensic identification.
Oakkharasri was working on Kibbutz Be’eri at the time of his abduction. He was the father a 7-year-old daughter, Kaimook. He longed to return to Thailand to be with his family and build his own farm. He was in Israel for 8 years ahead of his abduction, working as an agricultural worker in various Kibbutzim in Israel’s North, before heading to Kibbutz Be’eri.
Though he was described as a quiet man who was focused on his work, he maintained daily contact with his mother Amorn and his young daughter. According to a statement by the Hostage Family Forum, his work contract in Israel was set to end in October 2023, and he had already been planning his return to Thailand.
Hamas's Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades said the remains were found earlier in the day.
The Gaza terrorist organization returned the remains of hostage Eliyahu Margalit to Israel on Friday night.
Israel and mediators applied pressure on the terror group to return the remains of the hostages in alignment with US President Donald Trump's agreement.
Hamas called on mediators on Friday to follow up on the implementation of the remaining provisions of a US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Israel, which ended two years of war in Gaza.
Hamas's demand comes as the group continues to delay the return of hostage remains to Israel, a condition of the first phase of the ceasefire deal.
Return of hostage remains may take time
Hamas claimed on Thursday that the return of Israeli hostages' remains may take time, as some were buried in tunnels destroyed by Israel, and others remain under the rubble of buildings that Israel bombed and destroyed, adding that the group remained committed to the Gaza agreement and keen to hand over all the remains of all hostages held in Gaza.
The retrieval of the remaining hostages required equipment to remove rubble, which was currently unavailable due to Israel’s ban on entry of such tools, Hamas added.
Officials from the group have told mediators that the group had lost the remains; however, an Israeli official previously told The Jerusalem Post that Hamas knows the location of at least some of the remaining hostages.
Negotiations for the second phase of the plan have been put on hold until Hamas returns the remains.
This is a developing story.
Reuters, Joanie Margulies, and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.