At least 10 Thai hostages and 13 Israelis freed as part of Gaza truce deal
- Amid a 4-day ceasefire, the first batch of civilian hostages held by Hamas are being released, with Israel releasing some Palestinian prisoners in exchange
- The short truce promises some relief for 2.3 million Palestinians in the besieged enclave after weeks of Israeli bombardment
At least 10 Thai nationals captured by Hamas in Israel on October 7 have been set free on Friday, along with a group of 13 Israeli women and children, the first hostages released under a temporary truce.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara wrote online that he was “overjoyed”. He had travelled more than three weeks ago to Egypt and Qatar to seek their help in obtaining the hostages’ freedom.
Thais, who often travel to Israel to work as farmhands, carers or other types of semi-skilled labourer, were the biggest single group of foreigners taken hostage.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was the first Thai official to post news of the release, writing on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, that 12 had been freed. The spokesman for the Qatari foreign ministry, Majed al-Ansari, posted on X that the number was 10, as well as one Filipino citizen. Thailand said that it was checking the conflicting information.
The release of the group – all men – had not previously been announced as one of the terms of an agreed prisoner swap accompanying the first truce of the seven-week-old war.
Israel, meanwhile, cheered as 13 Israeli women and children emerged free from Gaza. Most were in their 70s or 80s, and the youngest was a two-year-old.