‘We never gave up’: tears and elation as freed Thai hostages return home from Gaza

The group of five workers were greeted at Bangkok airport by overjoyed family members and officials after being held for over a year in Gaza. The families of five Thai farm workers held hostage in Gaza for over a year wept with joy and hugged their loved ones as they arrived in Bangkok on Sunday. The group smiled as they walked into the arrivals hall at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport after being freed on 30 January as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Israel-Gaza war.

The five workers – Watchara Sriaoun, Pongsak Tanna, Sathian Suwannakham, Surasak Lamnau and Bannawat Saethao – landed in Bangkok early Sunday morning and were met by a small group of overjoyed relatives and officials from the ministry of foreign affairs. Pongsak told reporters that he was at a “loss for words” as he saw his family. “I thank everyone who helped us make it out. We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them. We can finally return to our motherland,” he said.

Somboon Saethao, the father of Bannawat, said he was “so happy” and that his family would welcome his son home with a traditional Thai ceremony. “I don’t think I want him to be far from home again,” said Somboon, who comes from Nan province in northern Thailand. Bannawat moved to Israel nine months before his kidnap in search of a better income for the family, he added. Foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa said it was “very inspiring” to witness their return, and that officials would monitor their reintegration into Thai society, “focusing on their mental health”.

“We never gave up on these hostages,” he said during a press conference at the airport. The five returnees are now making their way to their home towns. Boonsong Tapchaiyut, a labour ministry official said that each hostage would receive a one-time payment of about $18,000 (600,000 baht), along with a monthly salary of $900 until the age of 80, to ensure they did not have to return to Israel. When Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, 31 Thais were abducted, with 23 released by the end of that year and two confirmed dead in May.

One Thai national is still believed to be alive in Gaza. The handover of the five hostages last month in Khan Younis in southern Gaza was marked by chaotic scenes as Islamic Jihad and Hamas fighters struggled to hold back hundreds of spectators. After the release, prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said she was “elated” that they were out of captivity and thanked Israel, as well as Qatar, Egypt, Iran, Turkey and the US for their work to secure the releases.