Kumphawapi - The family of a Thai farm worker held for over a year in Gaza wept with relief Thursday as he was freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.
Five Thais were freed along with three Israelis held by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, 31 Thais were abducted, with 23 released by the end of that year and two confirmed dead in May.
"It is confirmed everyone, my son did not die. Thank you God," Wiwwaeo Sriaoun said as she heard the confirmation that her son Watchara Sriaoun was among those freed.
"I will hug him when I see him. I want to see if his health is ok, I am worried about his health," she added between sobs.
"Thank you, thank you God he did not died. We trust in God."
Around 10 family members had gathered to support Wiwwaeo as she waiting for news at the modest house on the family rubber farm in the northeast Udon Thani region.
Watchara was among the six Thai hostages still held in Gaza, but when the detainee exchange was announced on Wednesday there was no detail on which of the six Thais would be freed.
Hailing from the poor, rural Udon Thani, Watchara moved to Israel three years ago to work as a farmer for better wages.
Before her son's release was confirmed, Wiwwaeo spent the day watching news channels on a tablet computer hoping for good news.
"Come, come home back to your father, mother and daughter," she said as she watched.
"My friend called around 10 pm and said the ambassador told her five Thais will be released, and my friend said my son could be one," Wiwwaeo, looking exhausted but exhilarated, told AFP.
"I could not sleep from then until now. I was up until 3:00 am and my husband and I went out for rubber tapping and since then I have been monitoring the news."
- Farm workers -
Watchara's younger brother, who was also working in Israel, returned to Thailand after Watchara was kidnapped.
"We told him to come back because we were worried," his mother told AFP.
Watchara's aunt Ratana Sriaoun said earlier the family would not believe he was safe until they had official confirmation.
"Brothers and sisters at home are very happy and excited, but we have been disappointed many times," she told AFP.
Thailand has about 30,000 citizens in Israel, most of them working in the agricultural sector, where they earn significantly higher salaries as farm labourers than they would at home.
A total of 46 Thai workers have been killed since the October 2023 attacks, according to the foreign ministry in Bangkok.
Thailand's Ministry of Labour said last week that the country will expand its workforce in Israel by 13,000 positions.
The Thai government initially believed that 32 of its citizens had been abducted after the Hamas attacks, but the figure was later revised down to 31.
