12 Thai Hostages Released
After reports that the mediation efforts between Thailand and Hamas, led by Cairo, would lead to the release of some of the Thai captives, the Prime Minister of Thailand announced that 12 citizens who were held in the Gaza Strip have been released.
Also read: Palestinian Attackers Planned Systematic Sexual Assaults Against Israeli Women on October 7th
Their release is not related to the prisoner exchange deal that was formed between Israel and Hamas.
Video – First footage of the 12 Thai hostages who were released at the Rafah crossing a few minutes ago
Report – all of the released Thai Hostages are men
Video – Hamas terrorists transferring the Thai captives to the Red Cross
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha confirmed today (Friday) that 12 of the country’s citizens have been released from Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip. Egypt’s Government Communication Office announced earlier that Cairo succeeded in securing the release of those Thai citizens, in addition to the 13 Israeli captives expected to be released soon from Hamas captivity in the Strip. The efforts to release the Thai citizens held in the Strip were apparently made between the Government of Thailand and Hamas, mediated by Egypt and Iran, and are not related to the deal that was formed between Israel and Hamas.
23 Thai Citizens Were Kidnapped and 32 Killed on October 7th
Despite the release of 12 Thai citizens, negotiations in Bangkok will continue for the release of additional citizens held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Thailand announced this month that 23 of its citizens were abducted to Gaza on October 7, and another 32 were killed in a terror attack. Now, after the release of 12 of them, 11 Thai citizens are still being held in the Strip.
Egypt is preparing to receive the hostages who will be transferred to it through the Rafah crossing, including, as mentioned, 13 Israelis, women and children, who have been held in the Strip since October 7. Meanwhile, in the background, Egypt reports that during the four-day ceasefire, it will bring into the Strip 130,000 liters of diesel, four gas trucks, and 200 trucks carrying humanitarian equipment on each day of the truce.
Aid trucks were already brought into the Strip in the early morning hours, about an hour and a half after the ceasefire began, with some of them bearing inscriptions like ‘Together for Humanity’ and ‘For Our Brothers in Gaza’. The outline agreed upon between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar and the United States, did not include, as mentioned, the release of the 12 Thai citizens. According to the outline, a total of 50 hostages will be released during the four days of the ceasefire.
Continuation of Hostage Deal
Hamas claims it ‘does not know’ where all the children and their mothers are, and therefore it is likely that 30 children and teenagers, eight mothers, and 12 adult women will be released in these days. According to the agreement, for every additional 10 hostages that Hamas ‘finds’ and releases, it will receive an additional day of truce and the release of another 30 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
In addition to the ceasefire and the extensive entry of humanitarian aid and fuel, 150 Palestinian prisoners – boys and women – will be released in exchange for the release of the 50 hostages, and this release is also expected to be carried out in stages.
