Thai families celebrate as hostages freed in Gaza: ‘I’m going to give him a hug’

Thailand’s prime minister said her government was working with Israel to ensure the Thai hostages freed by Hamas as part of an ongoing ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal were reunited with their families at the earliest.

Israel’s military confirmed that three Israeli hostages – Gadi Moses, 80, Arbel Yehoud, 29, and female soldier Agam Berger, 20 – had been handed over along with Thai citizens Pongsak Thaenna, 36, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Bannawat Seathao, 27, and Surasak Rumnao, 32. One Thai hostage was still unaccounted for.

“The Thai government and everyone here in Thailand have long been waiting for this very moment,” Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on social media. “I hold on to my hope that the remaining Thai national will be released and returned to us safely and speedily.”

The families of the Thai hostages reacted with tears and celebrations on hearing the news of their release.

Mr Rumnao, who was taken from Yesha in southern Israel during the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, appeared pale and swollen on Thursday, his mother Khammee Lamnao said. “I was so happy that I could not eat anything,” she told the Associated Press in a video call.

Mr Thaenna’s father, Wilas Thaenna, wept upon hearing his son had been freed. He had barely slept the night before from excitement. “When I see him, I’m going to give him a hug and tell him to come home,” he told the BBC.

Mr Suwannakham’s sister Sirinna said her family clung to hope throughout his time in captivity. “If he had died, we would have had a body to hold a ceremony,” she said. Instead, they chose to believe he was still alive.

There were 31 Thai citizens among the nearly 250 people abducted by Hamas fighters during the 2023 attack, making them the largest group of foreign hostages.

Most were agricultural workers who lived in remote compounds on the outskirts of kibbutzim and towns which were among the first areas to be overrun.

Twenty three of them were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023, in a deal negotiated by Thailand with the support of Qatar and Iran.

According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, 46 Thai citizens working in Israel have been killed in the conflict so far. Two of them were killed in the 2023 attack and their bodies were taken to Gaza.

Thailand’s ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, arranged video calls between the freed hostages and their relatives back home. She described the calls as incredibly emotional, filled with cries of joy and tears. She said it was one of the happiest days of her life to witness their release, especially as it came just a week before the end of her five-year term.

Alex Gandler, deputy spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry, said his country will recognise the released Thai hostages as victims of terrorism, a designation that grants them access to financial benefits and healthcare.

The handover of the Israeli and Thai hostages in Khan Younis in southern Gaza was marked by chaotic scenes as a crowd surged towards the group, despite the presence of heavily armed militants escorting them.

The commotion caused delays in their transfer to Red Cross vehicles.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes” and suspended the planned release of Palestinian prisoners until mediators could guarantee the safe and orderly transfer of hostages in future exchanges.

However, the prisoner release resumed after a brief delay and buses carrying the freed Palestinian detainees arrived in Ramallah later in the day.

Many Thai workers in Israel come from economically disadvantaged regions of Thailand, attracted by higher wages. Before the 7 October 2023 attack, there were around 30,000 Thai nationals in the West Asian country.

While some returned home after the war broke out, the promise of better pay has continued to bring new workers to Israel, where their earnings far exceed those of jobs back in Thailand, Associated Press reported.

Additional reporting by agencies.