Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Relatives of Thai hostages recently released by Hamas arrive in Israel
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In this photo provided by the Thai Foreign Ministry, an official, left, from the Department of Consular Affairs, talks to family members of released Thai hostages freed נט Hamas, before they travel to Tel Aviv, Israel, from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn Province, Thailand, Feb. 3, 2025. (Thai Foreign Ministry via AP)
The relatives of the recently released hostages from Thailand have arrived in Israel to visit them, Hebrew-language media reports.
Thai nationals Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak were released by Gaza-based terror groups last Thursday after 482 days in captivity, in a side agreement alongside the hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
Tens of thousands of laborers from Southeast Asia were working in Israel when the Hamas attack unfolded on October 7, 2023. Thai nationals were by far the largest group and the most heavily affected.
During the November 2023 ceasefire-hostage deal, 24 Thai hostages were released.
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