Seventeen Thai people who were captured by Hamas for almost 50 days have been released and have come back to Bangkok.
They have been released separately from an agreement that has already seen Hamas free 70 Israeli women and children.
The truce being extended gives us hope that the last nine Thai hostages will be released.
Almost all of the kidnapped foreign workers were from Thailand. Israel hires around 30,000 people to work on farms, and they are one of the biggest groups of migrant workers there.
39 people from Thailand were killed in an attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October.
Six people from Thailand who were taken captive were let go recently. They are now in Israel for a check-up with a doctor. However, the other people who were released are being taken home by the Thai foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara.
They got to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Thursday evening. Some of their families were excited to see them.
Chanapa and Sirirat Bupasiri left their village in the middle of the night to go to Bangkok for their brother Buddee Saengbun’s arrival.
“We didn’t sleep at all,” Chanapa said to the media as she waited outside Bangkok airport. She said they knew Buddee was ok when they saw him on the news after he was let go last week.
We didn’t know what happened to my brother. We tried a lot of things like Facebook groups and asking the department of employment for help. Some families heard about their loved ones, but we didn’t.
She cried while smiling when someone asked her what she will do when she sees her brother again. (Give people hugs. ) “She said she wanted hugs and was crying. ” “One month and 18 days. ” can be rewritten as “49 days. ” “We have been keeping track of each day. ”
The workers will go back to their homes after a short meeting with reporters. They will talk to the media and answer their questions. Many of them come from a poor area in north-east Thailand where people mainly grow rice. Many young adults leave this area to find better jobs.
Older parents who cannot travel to Bangkok, or families who cannot afford the long trip, are waiting at home.
“I’m very happy” Bunyarin Srichan is excited for his daughter Nattawaree “Yo” Mulka to come home. She was the only female Thai hostage taken by Hamas.
She says they will have a big meal with fried pork and sticky rice. She also plans to have a small ceremony to welcome their loved one home and bring back their spirits after a scary experience.
Yo’s boyfriend, who she met while working in Israel, was also taken by force, but was released with her.
Bunyarin, who has been taking care of Yo’s two children, said her daughter used to call or message three times a day before she was kidnapped in the attack on October 7th. She sent half of her money to her mom every month, which was 25,000 Thai baht ($715; £560).
Many workers borrow money to travel to Israel, so they can send money back to their families and pay back what they owe. Natthaporn Onkaew, 27, was let go on Saturday. He is the only one in his family who earns money.
Two years ago, he got a job in Israel. He sent back around $800 to $1,000 (£630-£800) to his home every month.
“I’m really glad that my son is coming back,” said his father, Thawatchai Onkaew, to BBC Thai. He also mentioned that his son had been calling home every day from the hospital after being released.
The family is making his favorite food – beef salad – to welcome him home, and they are also having a party for him.
Mr Thawatchai said that his son doesn’t want to go back to work in Israel because he is still very afraid.
About 8,500 people from Thailand have been brought back to their country since the attack on 7 October. The BBC knows that some people have returned to Israel because they couldn’t find work and had too much debt.
Many people have told BBC Thai about their bad working conditions in Israel. They say they have to live in dirty places, work too much, and don’t get paid enough.
More than 14,500 people in Gaza have died from Israel’s bombing since October 7th, according to Gaza’s health ministry run by Hamas.
Hamas stopped fighting for six days and let go 102 hostages in exchange for 210 Palestinian prisoners, including many women and teenagers, held in Israeli jails.
The truce was supposed to end on Thursday, but it has been prolonged for at least one more day.
Narissara Chanthasang feels better because her husband, Nattapong Pinta, is still being held by Hamas.
“Heart hurt when I found out he wasn’t free,” she said. I will go to the airport when he comes back for sure. “Nothing can prevent me. “