Thai couple clung to hope and prayers during Hamas captivity

Despite the war and captivity, however, Natthawaree said she had good memories of her time in Israel, before the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas militants rampaged through Israel killing more than 1,000 people and taking more than 200 hostage.

“If there’s a chance of going back, we want to return (to Israel),” Natthawaree. “Because there were many good things that left a lasting impression in our hearts.”

She has hope that they will stop fighting and expressed her desire to return to Israel.

Before the war, around 30,000 Thai labourers, mostly from the country’s rural northeast, worked in Israel’s agriculture sector, making them one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country.

Many come to Israel seeking higher pay to send money back home to their families where some are sole providers.

Reuters