Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara on Wednesday welcomed the release of two more Thai hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, the latest to be freed under a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas.
Mr Bahiddha-Nukara who is also the deputy prime minister wrote on the social media platform X “Happy to personally welcome 2 additional Thai hostages who have just been released and arrived at the hospital in Tel Aviv,”
There were 39 Thai nationals killed in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
So far, 19 Thai hostages have been released, with the foreign ministry reporting that 13 more are still being held captive. The Hamas attack on October 7 killed 39 Thai nationals.
A Thai Muslim group that spoke directly with Hamas said on Monday its efforts were key to ensuring Thai hostages were among the first to be released.
A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson said multiple actors were consulted.
Prior to the Israel-Hamas war, approximately 30,000 Thai laborers worked in Israel’s agriculture sector, constituting one of the country’s largest migrant worker groups.
According to the government, nearly 9,000 people have been repatriated.
The Thai citizens who were released are scheduled to return home this week while Parnpree is in Israel.
