The five Thai hostages, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, and Lamnao Surask, who were released on Thursday from 482 days in captivity in Gaza, shared some of the details of their harrowing captivity with the media.

The five were abducted to Khan Younis, initially placed in tunnels with other captives, and were later moved to small rooms in apartments that were almost completely dark and were guarded by a “local” around the clock.

They recounted having difficulty communicating with the terrorists due to both language and cultural gaps. At times, Israeli hostages helped them communicate with the terrorists. They also suffered from severe food shortages. During the early days of their captivity, they were fed only pita bread and there were days when they ate nothing. In recent months, the terrorists allowed them to cook every few days.

Other media reports said they spoke about prolonged periods of hunger, difficulty breathing in underground tunnels, and being held in dark rooms. They were kept in two separate groups, with two in one location and three in another. As their captivity continued, they learned to communicate in Arabic with their captors.

Thenna said he was abducted along with Bannawat: “We were together,” he said. “We were abducted from different places but were placed in the same vehicle. We were kept locked in a room the entire time and there was a guard with us 24 hours a day. We didn’t go outside and didn’t see sunlight or stars. Occasionally we saw the light of a vehicle passing by the window. We showered once every four or five days.”

Pongsak added that later, an Israeli hostage was held with them.

In an interview with the Bangkok Post,  he described his release from captivity in Gaza as “being born again.” He said that life in captivity was difficult but he never lost hope that one day he would be released. He shared that thoughts of his family, especially his 15-year-old daughter, whom he hadn’t seen for over seven years, gave him strength to survive.

Saithiao stated, “From the day I was kidnapped, I missed home, Thailand. We forced ourselves to eat just to survive and return home. We encouraged each other.”

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel announced in a meeting on Sunday with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa that he had decided to grant permanent residency in Israel to the five released hostages.

Another five foreign workers are still in Gaza, three of whom were murdered while in captivity and their bodies are being by Hamas, including Joshua Luitto Molal from Tanzania. Two are thought to be alive, one from Thailand and one from Nepal.

Past released Thai hostages spoke about their conditions in captivity, including brutal beatings.

Thirty-one Thai nationals, mostly farmworkers, were taken hostage when the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023. Of those, 28 have been released, two were confirmed dead last May.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)