Behind-the-scenes negotiations took place in Tehran last week, but no agreement has yet been reached.
Thai Muslim leaders reported meeting with Hamas in Iran as they tried to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza by the Palestinian group.
Thai politician Areepen Uttarasin said Friday he had held “direct talks” with Hamas officials in Iran to discuss the issue. The talks took place in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on October 26 and lasted two hours, it reported.
“I told them that I was not here to negotiate but simply to ask for their release,” said Areepen, who declined to name the Hamas officials he met.
Hamas officials told lawmakers that the Thai captives were safe and well cared for. But they did not agree on a date for the captives’ release, he added, saying they were “waiting for the right moment.”
At least 23 Thai nationals were among more than 240 people kidnapped by Hamas during the group’s unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7. Of the more than 1,405 people Israel says were killed in the attacks, at least 32 were Thais.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin spoke by phone with her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and received assurances that Israel was doing everything possible to release all captives, including Thai nationals. Netanyahu also pledged to guarantee care for all foreign nationals.
However, according to local media, the Thai government is planning a mass evacuation of its nationals from Israel this week, fearing an escalation of the situation on the ground.
Israel ranks third behind South Korea and Taiwan for registered Thai migrant workers and around 30,000 Thai workers work in Israel, mainly in the agricultural sector.
Earlier, Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara said Qatar, Iran and Egypt had agreed to immediately send Thailand’s request to release the hostages to Hamas.
“I wanted them to pass this on to Hamas because I’m afraid that Hamas doesn’t know that they are just agricultural workers,” Parnpree told a news conference.
On the “Thai Workers in Israel” Facebook page, desperate relatives of the captives listed the towns they came from, which include some of Thailand’s poorest regions, such as Kalasin, Surin and Sisaket.
Despite the dangers, some Thais in the group also said opportunity had to come before their safety. One worker said he would return (to Israel) no matter how serious the security situation.
In the rush of comments that followed, another article summed up the feelings of many Thai workers overseas: “Poverty is scarier.”
