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Krit Saetae

Hamas killed Thai nationals deliberately

The terrorists called to the workers from Thailand in their native tongue to lure them out of hiding, only to kill them or take them hostage
Thai hostages, freed from Hamas's captivity, from left to right, Surasak Lumnau, Sathian Suwannakham, Bannawat Saethao, Watchara Sriaoun and Pongsak Thaenna, all hold a Thailand flag, in Israel, January 30, 2025. (Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv via AP)
Thai hostages, freed from Hamas's captivity, from left to right, Surasak Lumnau, Sathian Suwannakham, Bannawat Saethao, Watchara Sriaoun and Pongsak Thaenna, all hold a Thailand flag, in Israel, January 30, 2025. (Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv via AP)

For a year and a half, the Israel-Hamas war raged on relentlessly. Finally, both sides reached a six-week ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on January 19, 2025.

On Thursday, Hamas announced the release of five Thai laborers held hostage: Thenna Pongsak, Sathian Suwannakham, Sriaoun Watchara, Seathao Bannawat, and Rumnao Surasak.

However, Hamas’s brutality against innocent civilians remains unchanged. The terrorist group has not only targeted Jewish people, but also foreigners — particularly Thai nationals. Among all the casualties they brought upon foreign nationals, Thai workers suffered the highest number of casualties in this war.

One of the Thai survivors, nicknamed Top, recounted his near-death experience on October 7, 2023. Initially, he dismissed the sound of gunfire as a routine clash between Israeli forces and Hamas. However, by 7:00 a.m., the reality of the massacre unfolded — four armed Hamas militants stormed a nearby workers’ housing quarters, indiscriminately gunning down every Thai worker in sight. Top managed to hide inside a bunker, narrowly escaping the same fate.

By 4:00 p.m., Hamas fighters regrouped around the workers’ quarters. Then came an eerie moment he never expected: one of the militants greeted him in Thai: “Sawasdee Kub Khon Thai” (Hello, Thai people). Immediately after, they fired rounds into the air, before setting fire to the room where he was hiding. In that moment, he believed he was doomed. He held his breath for over 20 minutes, but as the smoke thickened, he could no longer endure it. Desperate, he broke down the door and ran into the nearby forest. Miraculously, by then, Hamas had already left.

Another survivor, nicknamed Lord, who found himself in a similar situation, described how Hamas meticulously raided each of the workers’ dorms, slaughtering every unarmed worker they encountered. Those who did not die from gunfire were executed with knives in gruesome beheadings. When Hamas failed to locate the remaining Thai workers, they resorted to deception — driving into the camp while calling out in Thai, offering to sell ducks and chickens. What was even more terrifying was their uncanny ability to speak the local language fluently. Throughout the ordeal, Lord could do nothing but pray to his ancestors for protection.

One Thai laborer, Witthawat Kulwong, chose to fight back. When Hamas attempted to slit his throat, he resisted with all his strength. The struggle lasted nearly an hour. He suffered deep stab wounds to his neck, back, and forehead. In the end, the knife broke, but not before leaving him gravely wounded. His coworkers did everything they could to stop the bleeding. Against all odds, he survived after receiving emergency treatment.

The atrocities committed by Hamas were not limited to Israelis alone. Innocent Thai workers — foreign nationals with no involvement in the war — became deliberate targets of deception, abduction, and slaughter. Hamas showed no hesitation in using deception to lure Thai laborers, either to kill them outright or take them hostage in the most brutal ways imaginable.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 44 Thais were killed during Hamas’s murderous attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. the conflict, including the two who died in Hamas captivity. 31 were taken hostage, where two died in captivity, and 23 were released in November 2023, as part of a brief ceasefire agreement. On Thursday, January 30, 2025, on day 482 of captivity, five Thai nationals (pictured and named above) were released, in another ceasefire-hostage release deal. The status of one Thai national remains unclear. Agricultural laborers from Thailand remain the largest group of foreign (agricultural) workers in Israel, sending wages home. Thailand and Israel implemented a bilateral agreement a decade ago to ease the way for workers in the agriculture sector. (AP)

About the Author
Krit Saetae is an independent writer. His BA in Political Science and International Relations is from Suan Sunandha Rajahbat University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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