Hamas set to release 23 Thai hostages in side deal brokered by Iran – source

A relative hugs a Thai overseas worker who was evacuated from Israel after Hamas’s October 7 attacks, as he and others arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, on October 12.//AP

Nearly two dozen Thai nationals believed held by Hamas in Gaza may be released on the sidelines of a hostage swap deal taking place between Israel and the terror group, according to Times of Iran online.

Bangkok has been holding separate talks to repatriate some of its nationals believed kidnapped by Hamas during the terror group’s deadly rampage through southern Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people, including a number of Thai workers, were killed and some 240 people abducted.

On Friday, Hamas is set to release 13 women and children in exchange for Palestinians being held in Israeli prison, part of a deal that will halt intense fighting for several…