A delegation of senior Thai government officials, including Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday after five Thai hostages were freed a day earlier from captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The delegation also included Thailand’s military chief of staff, Gen. Songwit Nunphakdi; its deputy foreign minister, Russ Jalichandra; and its ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya.
Members of the delegation were moved to hear about the continuous prayers at the Western Wall for the return of the hostages. They also expressed their appreciation for the warm embrace that the people of Israel have extended to the Thai people, according to a statement from Jerusalem.
At the end of the visit, they offered a silent prayer for the captives who have returned and for the swift release of all those still being held by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel has granted residency status to the five Thai hostages released on Jan. 30, Hebrew media reported on Sunday.
Thaenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakhan, Sriaoun Watchara, Saethao Bannawat and Rumnao Surasak were among 31 foreign workers from Thailand kidnapped by Hamas-led terrorists during the Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border assault on communities in Israel’s south.
The Interior Ministry’s decision grants the former hostages the right to remain in the country and work if they wish to do so after an initial recovery period at Shamir Medical Center in Be’er Ya’akov, according to Kan News.
At least one living Thai hostage, Pinta Nattapong, 35, remains in Hamas captivity, alongside two Thai citizens who were killed and whose bodies are being held by the terror group. Rintalak Suttisak, 43, and Sahaot Banawat, 30, were murdered in Kibbutz Be’eri on Oct. 7, 2023.
