Khammee Lamnao, the mother of Thai hostage Surasak Lamnau, said the Thai embassy in Israel had called her Wednesday to let her know her son was one of the five who were to be released.
“I cannot wait to see my son,” the 53-year-old was quoted by news agency AP. “I’ve been waiting for him.”
Surasak had been working in the agricultural sector in Israel for 15 months when he was taken hostage during the October 2023 attack.
Thirty-one Thai nationals are believed to have been taken hostage when Hamas attacked Israel in October, 2023.
Of those, 23 have been released, and two of the remaining hostages have been confirmed dead.
Five surviving hostages are due to be released, and it is not clear at the moment what the status of the sixth person is.
There were about 30,000 Thai workers — mostly laborers in the agricultural sector — in Israel prior to the October 7 attack by Hamas, when operatives stormed through a border fence and killed hundreds of Israelis and foreign nationals, including 41 Thai workers.
At least 7,000 Thai workers are known to have returned home on government evacuation flights, but many others decided to stay for the opportunity to earn wages far higher than at home.
