Hamas releases 10 Thai hostages, 4 of whom had not been listed as abducted

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry announced Hamas freed 10 Thai nationals and a Filipino alongside Israeli hostages who were part of the first swap under a new cease-fire deal – including four Thais who had not been officially listed as abducted.
Thais were the single biggest group of foreigners taken hostage when Hamas took some 240 people during its Oct. 7 surprise attack on southern Israel. Thais working in Israel are mostly employed as semi-skilled farm laborers, at wages considerably higher than those at they can earn at home.
The ministry said the group of 10 Thais in all – nine men and one woman – were undergoing health checks at a medical center in Israel. They would stay there for at least 48 hours before flying home to Thailand. It released photos of the freed hostages in the Israeli hospital where they were taken Friday after their release.
There was confusion overnight about the number of Thais freed, with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that 12 had been freed.