By AP and published by Yahoo!News
Beer Yaakov, Israel – When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release yesterday (Jan. 30), he had changed so much that she didn’t recognize him at first.
Surasak Rumnao, 32, who was kidnapped from the southern Israeli town of Yesha on Oct. 7, 2023, looked pale and puffy, said his mother, Khammee Lamnao.
“I was so happy that I could not eat anything. His father brought some food to me but I did not want to eat at all,” Khammee said on a video call with The Associated Press after the release of her son.
Dozens of Israeli doctors, nurses and representatives from Israel and Thailand waved flags, sang and cheered yesterday as the five Thai hostages stepped off a military helicopter and entered a hospital outside Tel Aviv, where they will spend a few days undergoing medical tests and recuperating. Three Israelis were also released on Thursday, and Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners in the exchange.
Besides Sarusak, Watchara Sriaoun, 33, Sathian Suwannakham, 35, Pongsak Thaenna, 36, and Bannawat Saethao, 27, were released in Thursday’s exchange.
Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals during the assault on southern Israel, making them the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many of the Thai agricultural workers lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, and Hamas militants overran those places first.
During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran.
According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including two Thai citizens who were killed on Oct. 7, 2023 and their bodies taken into Gaza.
Dr. Osnat Levzion-Korach, the director of Shamir Medical Centre outside Tel Aviv where the five were taken, said they were in “fair” health, though most were held underground and were not exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. She said they did not appear to be malnourished and credited their young age with helping them survive captivity in fairly good physical shape.
Thailand’s ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, said she facilitated video calls between the hostages and their families after they arrived at the hospital, describing them as incredibly emotional, with shouts of joy and tears. She said it was “one of the happiest days of her life,” to see their release just a week before she ends her five-year term.
Pannabha said there was no immediate information available about the last Thai hostage left in Gaza, Nattapong Pingsa, nor the two Thai workers whose bodies were taken into Gaza.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Thai hostages who were freed from Hamas, from left to right, Surasak Rumnao, Sathian Suwannakham, Bannawat Saethao, Watchara Sriaoun and Pongsak Thaenna hold the Thailand flag in Israel, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Photo: Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv via AP and published by Yahoo!News
First insert: Two Thai captives, who have been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, are escorted by Hamas fighters as they are handed over to the Red Cross in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday Jan. 30, 2025. Photo: AP /Jehad Alshrafi and published by Yahoo!News
Second insert: A crowd surrounds Red Cross cars as they arrive at the site for the handover of Thai and Israeli hostages in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Thursday Jan. 30, 2025. Photo: AP /Jehad Alshrafi and published by Yahoo!News
Front Page: An Israeli military helicopter carrying five Thai hostages released from Gaza lands at Shamir Medical Centre (Assaf Harofeh) in Be’er Ya’akov, Israel, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Photo: AP /Maya Alleruzzo and published by Yahoo!News
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