The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand issued a congratulatory statement on the release of the first batch of 10 Thai hostages on Friday, November 24, 2023, as follows:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand has been notified by the Royal Thai Embassy, Tel Aviv, that 10 Thai nationals who were held hostage have been released, and have entered Israel via the Rafah Border Crossing. They are being transported to the processing point at Hatzerim Air Force Base. At this time, the gender and names of these Thais are not known.
The 10 Thais will be taken to Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), where they will be met by Embassy officials. They are required to be under medical supervision for a period of 48 hours, without access to outsiders.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand sends its heartfelt congratulations to these 10 Thai nationals and their families, and will do all possible to expedite their return to Thailand.
The Royal Thai Government expresses its thanks to all from whom it sought assistance in securing the release of these first hostages, namely the Governments of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and the ICRC. It is our deep hope that all remaining hostages will be taken care of, and will be safely released at the earliest opportunity.
According to Associated report, Hamas freed 10 Thai nationals and a Filipino alongside Israeli hostages who were part of the first swap under a new cease-fire deal — including four Thais who had not been officially listed as abducted.
Thais were the single biggest group of foreigners taken hostage when Hamas took some 240 people during its Oct. 7 surprise attack on southern Israel. Thais working in Israel are mostly employed as semi-skilled farm laborers, at wages considerably higher than those at they can earn at home.
The ministry said the group of 10 Thais in all — nine men and one woman — were undergoing health checks at a medical center in Israel. They would stay there for at least 48 hours before flying home to Thailand. It released photos of the freed hostages in the Israeli hospital where they were taken Friday after their release.
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