Thai Consul General thanks Ofir Akunis for Thai hostage release
Thai New York Consul General Somjai Taphaopong thanked her Israeli counterpart Ofir Akunis today for securing the freedom of the Thai hostages.


Thai New York Consul General Somjai Taphaopong thanked her Israeli counterpart Ofir Akunis today (Thursday) for securing the release of the Thai hostages along with Israeli hostages Agam Berger, Arbel Yehud, and Gadi Mozes.
The official statement said that Somjai Taphaopong told Akunis: "Thank you to the Israeli government for its efforts to release our hostages. We still have one more citizen that we are waiting for their release," she said.
Consul General Ophir Akunis said in the meeting that "Israel is committed to the return of all hostages from the Hamas tunnels to which they were kidnapped in the October 7 massacre. The cruel terrorists attacked brutally and did not hesitate to murder Israelis, Jews and non-Jews, and citizens from other countries around the world, many of them from Thailand."
The Thai hostages were freed without anything in return, thanks to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar's proposal to Thai's Foreign Ministry to immediately work to free their citizens, as occurred in the previous hostage deal.
Following this conversation, Thailand worked with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to secure the release of their citizens.
In November 2023, during the first hostage deal, Hamas released 23 Thai citizens without anything in return from Israel, thanks to Iranian mediation between Thailand and the terrorist group.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said at the time that "a preliminary physical examination shows that all the hostages who were released are in good condition. All are healthy, and no one required urgent medical treatment."
Following their release, the Thai workers often spoke of how Hamas and other terrorists holding them hostage mistreated Israeli hostages far worse than they treated them, including using physical abuse and attacks.
All five hostages have been released into Israel and received with a warm welcome by Israelis, along with the three Israeli hostages who were freed today.
The release is part of a broader ceasefire agreement that includes exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Thai officials say their government has worked through diplomatic channels, including Qatar, to secure the release of their nationals.
The Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv reported that medical teams are standing by to assess the hostages' condition upon release. Embassy officials stated the men will be transported to a medical facility for evaluation before returning to Thailand.