Father 'finally home', says daughter of dead hostage returned to Israel

The first of two bodies returned on Saturday has been identified as that of Ronen Engel.

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Ronen Engel's daughter, Mika, wrote on Instagram: "It's not what we hoped, it's not what we wished for him, but it's finally here."

The remains of Mr Engel, 54, a photographer, and 30-year-old Thai farm worker Sonthaya Akrasri were the latest to be returned by Hamas on Saturday.

Both were killed during the 7 October 2023 attack and their bodies were taken to Gaza, the IDF said. They are the 11th and 12th of 28 dead hostages to be returned under the ceasefire deal.

Mr Engel's wife, Karina Engel-Bart, and their teenage daughters were also taken hostage but were released in November 2023 during a truce between Israel and Hamas. The following month, the IDF confirmed that Mr Engel had been killed in captivity.