BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said 12 Thai hostages kidnapped by Palestinian militants during Hamas’ Oct 7 raids into Israel were released on Friday (Nov 24), hours after a truce in the Israel-Hamas war began.
“It has been confirmed by the security side and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages are already released,” he posted on X.
“Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in another hour. Their names and details should be known. Please stay tuned.”
The hostages were released in a separate agreement mediated by Qatar and Egypt with Hamas, an official briefed on the talks said, adding that the hostages were all men and were not covered by the truce deal with Israel that relates to women and children.
The separate negotiation track was opened when Thailand’s foreign minister visited Qatar on Oct 31, which led to a specific agreement with Hamas to release the Thais, the official added.
A total of 25 Thai nationals were among the estimated 240 people taken hostage by gunmen during last month’s wave of cross-border raids into Israel.
In the worst attack in Israel’s history, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel has retaliated with a massive campaign of air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive into Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.
The Hamas government says the war has killed around 15,000 people, thousands of them children.
On Friday, a truce began following weeks of negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.
Under the agreement, a four-day pause in the fighting should see at least 50 hostages released from Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Two Hamas sources told AFP on Friday that some of the hostages seized in the raids were on Friday handed over to the Red Cross for return to Israel, via Egypt.
