Emotions swell as families reunite, freed Thai hostage says 'not dead' after miracle release

Emotions swelled as many families reunited after the first batch of hostages were released by Hamas from Gaza amid a temporary truce on Friday (Nov 24).

Among the Thai nationals released, the family of Vetoon Phoome had feared that he had been killed by Hamas in the October 7 attack, until they found out that he was freed along with other Thai hostages in Gaza.

"He told me not to cry, to tell mother I'm coming back," said Vetoon's sister Roongarun Wichagern, while speaking to Reuters after speaking to his brother via video call.

33-year-old Vetoon, who has been living in Israel since five years, was among the 10 Thai hostages released by Hamas during the first temporary truce of the war which has been going on for seven weeks and started with the October 7 assault of the Palestinian terror group on southern Israel.

"He said, 'I'm not dead, I'm not dead'," said Roongarun, while calling his survival a "miracle".

The 10 Thais were part of the hostages who were freed on Friday in a deal which was negotiated as part of the truce, under which 39 Palestinian prisoners were released from Israeli jails. The government of Thailand said that 20 of its nationals are still captive.

Thailand's foreign minister and army chief are set to travel to Israel to bring the freed hostages back, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin while speaking to reporters. He added that his government was trying to secure the release of the rest of the captives. "We will not stop. We will bring them back," he stated.

Taking to social media, Iran's Embassy in Bangkok said that the release was facilitated by Tehran by providing a list of names to Hamas after Thailand's foreign ministry and a parliamentary speaker made a request for the same.

A Thai foreign ministry spokesperson stated that Thailand had "provided lists since the beginning to everyone," including Egypt, Qatar, Iran and Israel. "Different actors would have different influence on Hamas," the spokesperson stated.

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'I dreamt we came home', says freed four-year-old Israeli girl

Four-year-old Israeli girl Raz Asher, who was released along with her little sister and mother, while sitting in her father's arms on a hospital bed said, "I dreamt we came home.” Her father Yoni replied, "Now the dream came true.”

Watch:Hostage release: Hamas frees 13 Israelis, 10 Thai citizens and 1 Filipino citizen

Raz along with her two-year-old sister, Aviv and mother Doron and was released was released on Friday (Nov 24). Yoni Asher was at home when his wife along with the two girls had gone to visit their grandmother in Kibbutz Nir Oz, which is near the border with Gaza.

After the attack, he eventually lost contact with his wife and later saw a video on social media in which her wife and two daughters were being taken to Gaza. "We'll be going home soon," Yoni said to Raz, in the footage shared by Schneider Children's Medical Centre, which has been treating children who are in comparatively good condition.

(With inputs from agencies)