Thai hostages in ‘fair' health after Gaza release, Israeli doctors say
When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn't recognise him at first.
Surasak Rumnao, 32, who was kidnapped from the southern Israeli town of Yesha on October 7, 2023, looked pale and puffy, said his mother, Khammee Lamnao.
'I was so happy that I could not eat anything. His father brought some food to me but I did not want to eat at all,' Khammee said on a video call with Associated Press after the release of her son.
Dozens of Israeli doctors, nurses and representatives from Israel and Thailand waved flags, sang and cheered Thursday as the five Thai hostages stepped off a military helicopter and entered a hospital outside Tel Aviv, where they will spend a few days undergoing medical tests and recuperating. Wiwwaeo Sriaoun, the mother of Thai farmworker Watchara Sriaoun who was held hostage in Gaza, reacts as she receives an image of her son. Photo: AFP
Three Israelis were also released on Thursday, and Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners in the exchange.
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