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SINGAPORE – Hamas on Friday released 10 Thai nationals and one Filipino held hostage in the Gaza Strip, according to Qatar and Egypt, which acted as intermediaries between Hamas and countries seeking to free their citizens.
The Thai Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had previously said that 12 Thai nationals had been released. Israel confirmed on Friday that 11 “foreign nationals” had been released.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said it was verifying the numbers as consular officials cared for the released hostages, who were transferred to the Shamir Medical Center south of Tel Aviv after first being taken to a processing center at the Hatzerim air base in southern Israel. The Thai and Philippine embassies in Tel Aviv did not respond to requests for comment.
The hostages were released during a long-awaited pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on Friday. Hamas has announced it will release 50 Israeli hostages during the break; The militant group released 13 people on Friday.
In return, Israel wants to release 150 Palestinian women and teenagers held in its prisons. Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for the Qatari Foreign Ministry, said 39 Palestinians had been released from Israeli prisons, in line with the agreement that for every Israeli hostage released, three Palestinian prisoners would be released. However, the International Committee of the Red Cross said it had facilitated the release of 33 prisoners from an Israeli prison in Ramallah in the West Bank.
The release of the Thai and Filipino hostages was separate from the release of the Israeli hostages.
Thailand is the single largest source of migrant agricultural labor in Israel. Nearly 40 Thai farm workers were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, according to Thai officials. The Thai Foreign Ministry said 26 Thai nationals were taken hostage – the largest number by nationality after Israelis.
In recent weeks, senior officials, including Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara and Thai Muslim leaders, have been lobbying Middle Eastern partners to secure the release of the Thai hostages. Lepong Syed, the president of the Thai-Iran Alumni Association, told reporters last week that all Thai hostages would be released once the pause in fighting in Gaza takes effect.
According to the Thai Labor Ministry, about 30,000 Thai nationals worked in Israel before the Hamas attack. Thavisin has urged expatriates to return home, but thousands are believed to still remain in Israel.
Filipino and Thai workers in Israel narrowly escape death
Filipino nationals, many of whom work as caregivers in Israel, are also caught up in the conflict. At least two have been killed by Hamas and several are missing, according to Philippine authorities.
This week, the Philippine Foreign Ministry said 17 Filipino sailors were among 25 crew members taken hostage by Yemen-based Houthi rebels in an attack on an Israel-linked ship in the Red Sea. The Philippines is negotiating their release, officials said.
Pietsch reported from Washington. Wilawan Watcharasakwej in Bangkok contributed to this report.