Released Thai hostages return to Bangkok after being held for over a year in Gaza

They were embraced by household members, immoderate of whom cried, successful the arrivals hallway astatine Suvarnabhumi airport. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sagniampongsa and the Israeli ambassador to Thailand were some astatine the airdrome to invited location the freed hostages.

They were the 2nd batch of Thai hostages released since the warfare broke out. During an earlier ceasefire successful November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released successful a woody negotiated betwixt Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran.

All 5 men were assessed astatine a infirmary extracurricular Tel Aviv anterior to their return. Four of them were joined by 1 comparative each earlier this week. The travel was sponsored by the Israeli government, according to the Thai Embassy successful Tel Aviv.

Thai citizens, who were released from Hamas captivity successful Gaza arsenic portion of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, permission Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh) successful Be’er Ya’akov, Israel. (AP Photo)

Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals during the Oct. 7, 2023, battle connected confederate Israel, making them the largest radical of foreigners held captive.

Many of the Thai cultivation workers lived successful compounds connected the outskirts of confederate Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first.

A full of 46 Thais person been killed during the conflict, including 2 Thai citizens who were killed during the onslaught and their bodies taken into Gaza, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

There was nary contiguous accusation disposable astir Nattapong Pingsa, who is the past Thai hostage near successful Gaza, nor the 2 Thai workers whose bodies were taken into Gaza.

Manis, the Thai overseas minister, traveled to Israel to sojourn the 5 freed men soon aft their release. Maris met with his Israeli counterparts seeking enactment to unafraid the merchandise of the remaining Thai hostage and retrieve the bodies of the 2 deceased Thais.

Thai workers stay the largest radical of overseas cultivation laborers successful Israel. The countries implemented a bilateral statement a decennary ago specifically easing the mode for Thai cultivation workers.

Many Palestinian workers had since returned, and earlier the Hamas onslaught astir fractional of Israel’s workforce was made up of overseas and Palestinian laborers.