The names of the ten Thai citizens who were taken prisoner by the Palestinian organisation Hamas in the Gaza Strip and freed on Friday as part of a ceasefire agreement were revealed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
The ministry revealed that, contrary to earlier reports, Hamas had freed 10 Thai hostages.
According to the ministry, when the Thai hostages at Shamir Medical Centre Hospital (Assaf Harofeh) were receiving treatment from the medical staff on Friday, representatives of the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv paid them a visit.
These are the freed Thai hostages:
- Moonkan Natthawaree
- Boonphrom Santi
- Phankhong Boonthom
- The Phajuabboon Mongkhol
- Phumee Withoon
- Wichai Kalapat
- Bancha Kongmanee
- Saengboon Buddee
- Uthai Thunsri
- Sangnuan Uthai
The embassy stated that it had informed their family in Thailand of their release and that it was keeping an eye on how the freed hostages were being treated at the hospital, where they must remain for 48 hours.
The embassy stated that Thai-speaking psychologists and social workers will assess the freed detainees while they were there.
The ministry further stated that four of the ten Thai captives who were freed had never had their captivity verified by Israeli authorities. Twenty more Thais, according to the ministry, were reportedly being detained in Gaza. Previous reports claimed that Israel has verified the hostage-taking of 26 Thai nationals by Hamas.
The ministry thanked associated parties for their cooperation in the negotiations with Hamas, including the governments of Qatar, Israel, Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and pledged to keep pushing for the swift release of the other Thai captives.
photo the Nation
