TEL AVIV听–听罢丑补颈听贵辞谤别颈驳苍听惭颈苍颈蝉迟别谤听Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara held听产补肠办听迟别补谤蝉听when he met fellow听罢丑补颈s听谤别濒别补蝉别d to Israel by听贬补尘补蝉听after seven weeks of captivity and said on Wednesday he hoped for freedom soon for the remaining 13 hostages.
Another two聽罢丑补颈听飞辞谤办别谤蝉听were set free on Tuesday, bringing the total听谤别濒别补蝉别d to 23. With their arrival at Shamir Medical Center, the聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听embraced one another. “We survived! We survived!” they cheered, and one was seen wiping away听迟别补谤蝉.
“We are not part of the conflict,” Mr. Parnpree said in a Reuters interview later on Wednesday after an emotional meeting with the聽飞辞谤办别谤蝉听on Tuesday. He said there were no conditions for their听谤别濒别补蝉别.
Mr. Parnpree held talks with his counterparts in several Middle Eastern countries with听贬补尘补蝉听contacts. He said they remain in contact with him and send him updates about the听谤别濒别补蝉别聽of hostages even before the news breaks.
“I went around to speak to various countries who can connect with the听贬补尘补蝉听group to explain that the聽罢丑补颈听飞辞谤办别谤蝉听are innocent, they are not involved in politics, they are not part of anyone’s conflict, and they probably don’t even know how the situation came to be, who’s fighting with whom. They were there to earn a living,” he said in the interview.
Thailand says Palestinian听贬补尘补蝉听gunmen from Gaza killed 39听罢丑补颈s during an Oct. 7 rampage into Israel where around 30,000聽罢丑补颈听laborers had been working in the agriculture sector, one of Israel’s largest migrant worker groups.
The聽罢丑补颈听蹿辞谤别颈驳苍听ministry said three听罢丑补颈s were being treated for wounds in hospital. On Wednesday night, four additional聽罢丑补颈听hostages were听谤别濒别补蝉别d. Of the 32 taken hostage, nine remain in captivity. Mr. Parnpree said he had pinned his hopes on winning their听谤别濒别补蝉别聽soon.
Without revealing which countries he was in direct contact with, the top聽罢丑补颈听diplomat said upon hearing the news of the first group of hostages’听谤别濒别补蝉别聽on Friday, he was wondering why听罢丑补颈s were not among the list.
Shortly afterwards, he received the good news from his sources even before the news broke.
“I get updates sporadically and I get the alerts before anyone else – that 10 (workers) are being听谤别濒别补蝉别d, four have been听谤别濒别补蝉别d, three have been听谤别濒别补蝉别d and then two have been听谤别濒别补蝉别d,” said Mr. Parnpree. “I was able to gauge which country has the most accurate information and that they were really able to connect with听贬补尘补蝉.”
He added that diplomacy played the key role in听罢丑补颈s getting swiftly听谤别濒别补蝉别d from captivity compared to other nationalities who were among the hostages. In his perspective, it also plays a crucial role in places where there are high geopolitical conflicts.
On Monday, a聽聽that spoke directly with听贬补尘补蝉听said its efforts were key to ensuring that聽罢丑补颈听hostages were among the first to be听谤别濒别补蝉别d in Gaza during a temporary truce with Israeli forces.
“We were the sole party that spoke to听贬补尘补蝉听since the beginning of the war to ask for the听谤别濒别补蝉别聽of听罢丑补颈s,”听罢丑补颈-Iran Alumni Association President Lerpong Syed told Reuters on Monday.
Israel says听贬补尘补蝉听killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages听产补肠办听to Gaza on Oct. 7. More than 15,000 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign, say Palestinian health authorities in听贬补尘补蝉-run Gaza. – Reuters
