After 482 days, Thai national Pongsak Tanna released from Hamas captivity
Five Thai citizens who were foreign workers in Israel when abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, are released in a brokered deal on Jan. 30, 2025
On January 30, 2025, Thai national Pongsak Tanna, 36, was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza as part of a separate hostage release deal. He was handed over to the Red Cross, who delivered him to IDF soldiers who escorted him into Israel. Below is what we initially knew of his capture:
Pongsak Tanna, a Thai farm worker, 36, was taken captive by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, as they launched a murderous attack on Israel’s Gaza border communities.
Tanna’s father, Wilart Tanna, told The Wall Street Journal that he prays for his son’s safety every night.
In the first weeks after October 7, Wilart Tanna spent several days driving his motorbike around villages near the Cambodian border, WSJ reported, looking for anyone with a relative in Israel who could search for his missing son.
Now Wilart Tanna is demanding that the Thai government negotiate for the release of his son who has been held captive by Hamas militants for nearly five months, reported The Bangkok Post.
Wilas said he wanted the government to speed up negotiations. His son has a 14-year-old daughter.