The family of a Thai farm worker held for over a year in Gaza weeps with relief as he was freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Five Thais were freed along with three Israelis held by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, 31 Thais were abducted, with 23 released by the end of 2023 and two confirmed dead in May.
“It is confirmed everyone, my son did not die. Thank you God,” Wiwwaeo Sriaoun says as she hears the confirmation that her son Watchara Sriaoun was among those freed.
“I will hug him when I see him. I want to see if his health is ok, I am worried about his health,” she adds between sobs.
“Thank you, thank you God he did not died. We trust in God.”
Around 10 family members had gathered to support Wiwwaeo as she waiting for news at the modest house on the family rubber farm in the northeast Udon Thani region.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
