BANGKOK – With two more deaths, 41 Thai workers have died in Gaza, where the war between Hamas and Israel began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin posted on X while on duty in Rome at 1.23 a.m .Friday, Bangkok time, that he’s deeply saddened to learn that two more Thai migrant workers who were among the eight remaining Thai hostages held by Hamas have died.
“I am deeply saddened to learn that the two Thai hostages in Gaza, namely Mr. Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Mr. Sudthisak Rinthalak are now confirmed deceased. I offer my deepest condolences to both their families. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and our Embassy in Tel Aviv will provide all necessary assistance required.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement on May 17, 2024 that it has been informed by the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv that, upon consideration of the available evidence, the Committee for Assessing the Conditions of the Hostages of the Israeli Government has concluded that two Thai nationals listed as hostages in Gaza, from the remaining eight yet to be released, namely Mr. Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Mr. Sudthisak Rinthalak, are deceased, since October 2023.
The Royal Thai Government expresses its profound condolences to their families, which have already been contacted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv, while the agencies involved will render all necessary assistance to the families.
The Royal Thai Government reiterates its strong call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages, including the six remaining Thai nationals in Gaza, so that they may return home safely, and call for all sides to exercise their utmost efforts in negotiations leading to an urgent solution to the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Just earlier on Monday, Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Orna Sagiv told Khaosod English there was no progress on the remaining Thai hostages. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
According to the Associated Press report on May 17, 2024, Israel’s defense minister said the military would send more troops into Rafah, a city along Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, as fighting also rages in northern Gaza, where Hamas has regrouped.
South Africa is seeking emergency measures at the U.N.’s top court to halt Israel’s escalating offensive in Rafah, calling the incursion “the last step in the destruction of Gaza.” Israel has portrayed Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold, brushing off warnings from the United States and other allies that any major operation there would be catastrophic for civilians.
No food has entered the two main border crossings in southern Gaza for more than a week. Some 1.1 million Palestinians are on the brink of starvation, according to the U.N.
Around 600,000 Palestinians have been driven out of Rafah since the beginning of last week, the U.N. said. Some 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes since the start of the war, with many relocating multiple times.
Seven months of war have killed more than 35,000 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to local health officials.
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