Thai nationals taken hostage by Hamas in the 7 October attacks in Israel have been released, according to Thai, Israeli and Qatari officials, hours after a temporary truce in the fighting in Gaza began.
Srettha Thavisin, the Thai prime minister, said on social media he had received confirmation of their release, and that Thai embassy officials were going to pick them up. The names and gender of those released was not known, Thailand’s ministry of foreign affairs said.
Qatari officials – who negotiated a deal to free Israeli hostages in Gaza and a larger number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails - said 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino were freed, alongside 13 Israelis.
The group was brought to Rafah and then to the Kerem Shalom crossing, and was being transported to a processing point at Hatzerim air force base, the ministry said. They will be taken to Shamir Medical Center, south-east of Tel Aviv, where they will be met by embassy officials, it added.
“They are required to be under medical supervision for a period of 48 hours, without access to outsiders,” the ministry said.
The ministry added that it sent its heartfelt congratulations to the released hostages and their families, and said it “will do all possible to expedite their return to Thailand”.
There was some confusion over the exact number of Thai nationals released. While the Thai government said it had confirmed 12 had been freed, Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, said the International Red Cross had received “24 civilians, including 10 Thais, as well as 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom are dual citizens, and one Filipino citizen”.
At least 26 Thai nationals were being held by Hamas, while 39 Thai nationals have been killed, according to Thai officials. Three people remain in hospital.
Thousands of Thais worked in Israel’s agricultural sector before 7 October, and the Israeli government has said they make up the biggest group of foreign people killed or missing in the Hamas attacks.
It had earlier been reported by Al-Araby al-Jadeed news site that 23 Thai nationals would be freed by Hamas without any conditions, after weeks of negotiations by the Thai government, which last month met representatives of the militant group in Tehran in an attempt to secure their release.
The report by Al-Araby al-Jadeed had said the purported release was not related to the recent deal reached by Israel and Hamas to hand over dozens of Israeli hostages as well as Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Over recent weeks, Thai government representatives have met officials in Qatar and Egypt, as well as meeting for two hours with Hamas in Tehran.
Areepen Uttarasin, a lead negotiator, said at the time that he had emphasised the innocence of Thai nationals, and had been assured that they were being looked after.
Neighbouring Malaysia, which is a vocal supporter of Palestine and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has also taken part in the effort to get the Thai hostages released.
Sunan Chombua, whose son Komkrit Chombua, 29, was among those abducted, said he felt hopeful, but that no update had been given by Thai officials.
“Me and my wife are praying to hear good news,” he said. He had not received any communication from the Thai government, even after it was reported earlier this week that a deal had been reached by Israel and Hamas to release 50 hostages during a four-day ceasefire, he said. “It’s quiet, no update. I haven’t had any update about my son, even from his friends or anywhere else.”
Komkrit, from Surin province, moved from his home in rural Thailand four years ago to work in Israel, and was initially employed in agriculture and later construction. He would send money back home to his family, and his wages helped his parents to build a new home.
On 7 October, a photograph shared online showed Komkri sitting on the floor, head bowed, among a group of hostages taken by Hamas.
Sunan said he was waiting for more information. “I wish they could release all Thai hostages,” he said.
Before the war, 30,000 Thai workers were employed in Israel, with about 5,000 working in areas close to the Gaza Strip. Many Thais move from poorer, rural areas of Thailand to work Israel, where the wages are much higher.
Thailand’s ministry for foreign affairs thanked the governments of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran and Malaysia and the International Committee of the Red Cross for their role in securing the hostages’ release. “It is our deep hope that all remaining hostages will be taken care of and will be safely released at the earliest opportunity,” the ministry said.
