Five Thai hostages held by Hamas in Gaza finally return home

About 30,000 Thais were working in Israel when the war started, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry, the vast majority in agriculture.

Transcript

00:00Five Thai hostages released after being held in Gaza for more than a year have returned

00:07to Bangkok.

00:08They were recently released by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel.

00:13The five men were among 31 Thai agricultural workers taken hostage on October 7, 2023.

00:21They were living on the outskirts of southern Israeli towns, which Hamas overran first.

00:26Thousands of Thai nationals live and work on Israeli farms following a bilateral agreement

00:31between Thailand and Israel made a decade ago.

00:34Forty-six Thai workers have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and

00:38one Thai captive still remains in Gaza.