Six Thai captives kidnapped and held for weeks in the Gaza Strip by Hamas returned to Thailand on Monday, according to officials.
Tens of thousands of Thais were working in Israel, largely in agriculture, when Palestinian militants stormed the border on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capturing some 240, according to Israeli officials.
At least 32 Thais have been kidnapped by Hamas, and Bangkok’s foreign ministry and Thai Muslim groups are negotiating their release.
Seventeen were released last week, and six more arrived at the capital’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday around 2:00 p.m. (0700 GMT) after weeks in captivity.
Since their release by Hamas, the six have been recuperating in an Israeli hospital as officials prepare to transport them home.
According to the foreign ministry, five of the former captives are scheduled to be transferred immediately to their home cities throughout the country.
The returnees were released as part of a temporary truce that saw a large number of people released before it expired on December 1.
According to Bangkok’s foreign ministry, nine more Thais are still being held captive by Palestinian extremists.
According to Palestinian sources, Israel reacted to Hamas’s October 7 onslaught with a huge campaign of air, artillery, and naval bombardment, as well as a military offensive into Gaza, killing more than 15,500 people, the majority of whom were civilians.
Thailand had 30,000 people in Israel at the time of the attack, the majority of whom were migrant workers from the kingdom’s impoverished northeastern districts.
According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, the war has killed 39 Thais and injured 19, with the kingdom evacuating almost 8,500 people.