Two Thai nationals held hostage by Hamas in Gaza were killed on Oct 7

Two of the eight Thai hostages who were held captive by Hamas were confirmed to have been killed in the October 7 assault and their bodies are being held by the militant group, the Israel army said in a statement on Thursday (May 16).

"We informed the families of two kidnapped Thai citizens, who worked in agriculture in the plantations near Kibbutz Beeri, that they were murdered in the terrorist attack on October 7 and their bodies are being held by Hamas," said Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari, according to AFP news agency.

The same was confirmed by the Thailand government, which in a statement, said that the news was communicated to the country's foreign ministry by theRoyal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv. The Thai nationals were identified as Sonthaya Oakkharasri and Sudthisak Rinthalak.

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Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs was informed about the unfortunate development "upon consideration of the available evidence." This comes as the "Committee for Assessing the Conditions of the Hostages of the Israeli Government has concluded that two Thai nationals listed as hostages in Gaza" are deceased, since October 2023," as per the the Thailand government.

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Hagari in a press briefing said, “On October 7, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered 39 Thai nationals, and kidnapped 31 Thai nationals to Gaza.”

“Like them, other foreign nationals were abducted, including from Tanzania, Nepal, Mexico, the US, and France," he continued, adding, “The terrible cruelty of Hamas was used against anyone that stood in its way, without distinction of their origin."

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Notably, on the fateful day of October 7 last year, nearly 1,200 people were killed while about 252 were held hostages by the militant group.

30,000 Thai nationals were working in Israel on Hamas assault eve

Media reports suggest that around 30,000 Thai nationals were working in Israel on the eve of the Hamas attack. Among these Thai nationals, the majority were fieldhands in agricultural regions near the Gaza border.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)