5 Thai workers held captive for more than a year in Gaza return home
By Associated Press
Five Thai workers released after being held hostage for more than a year in Gaza arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.
Sarusak Rumnao, 32, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were freed on January 30 as part of an exchange arrangement.
They were the second batch of Thai hostages released since the war broke out. During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with help from Qatar and Iran.
All five men were assessed at a hospital outside Tel Aviv before their return. Four of them were joined by one relative each earlier this week. The trip was sponsored by the Israeli government, according to the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv.
Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals during the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, making them the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first.
A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including two Thai citizens who were killed during the attack and their bodies taken into Gaza, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
By Associated Press
Five Thai workers released after being held hostage for more than a year in Gaza arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.
Sarusak Rumnao, 32, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were freed on January 30 as part of an exchange arrangement.
They were the second batch of Thai hostages released since the war broke out. During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with help from Qatar and Iran.
All five men were assessed at a hospital outside Tel Aviv before their return. Four of them were joined by one relative each earlier this week. The trip was sponsored by the Israeli government, according to the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv.
Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals during the October 7, 2023, assault on southern Israel, making them the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first.
A total of 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including two Thai citizens who were killed during the attack and their bodies taken into Gaza, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
via SCMP Full Text Feed
