Hamas hostages: Joy and relief as 17 Thai workers return home

Joyous scenes unfolded outside Bangkok international airport as 17 Thai hostages freed by Hamas returned home.

Thirty-year-old Pornsawan Pinakalo, who was held in captivity for nearly 50 days, fell to his knees and cried when he saw his father.

A beaming Khongpana Sudlamai rushed to his son and hugged him, before his smile turned into tears of relief.

"I am still having goosebumps," Mr Khongpana said. "It felt like he had left us. But he has returned to us."

The release of the Thais is separate to an agreement that has so far seen Hamas free 70 Israeli women and children. Six Thai nationals who Hamas released in the last two days are still in Israel undergoing medical examinations. Nine remain in Hamas' custody.

Nearly all of the abducted foreign workers were Thais. Israel employs some 30,000 of them as farm labour, making them one of the largest migrant groups in the country.

A negotiated pause in fighting between Hamas and Israel, which has now lasted six days, has seen Hamas release 102 of the 240 hostages it seized last month in exchange for 210 Palestinian prisoners, many of them woman and teenagers, held in Israeli jails.

Thirty-nine Thai nationals were among the 1,200 people Hamas killed in its attack on Israel on 7 October. More than 14,500 people have been killed in Gaza in Israel's retaliatory bombing since 7 October, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

The last message Mr Khongpana received from his son was on that day soon after the attack began: "I love you very much, dad and mom."

Khongpana Sudlamai, 52, had been waiting for hours at the airport for his son

Mr Khongpana said he had begun to lose hope because Mr Pornsawan was not listed as a hostage initially. Then on the fifth day after the attack, authorities sent him photos of three workers who were killed in the kibbutz where Mr Pornsawan had been working.

"When the DNA I sent didn't match, then I had hope," says Mr Khongpana, who had been waiting for hours for the flight carrying his son home from Israel to arrive.

He was not the only one. Chanapa and Sirirat Bupasiri left their village in the middle of the night so they could reach Bangkok in time for their brother Buddee Saengbun's arrival.

"We haven't had any sleep," Chanapa told the BBC. She smiled tearfully when asked what she would do when she finally met her brother again. "Hugs. Hugs and tears," she said. "One month and 18 days. We've been counting each day."

L-R: Sirirat and Chanapa Bupasiri with Palita Saengbun, the daughter of another freed hostage

Most of the workers are from north-east Thailand, a poor, rice-growing region which sees much of its working-age population leave in search of better opportunities.

Elderly parents who can't make the journey to Bangkok, or families that cannot afford the long trip, are waiting back home.

"I'm overjoyed. I can't wait for her to come home," says Bunyarin Srichan, whose daughter Nattawaree "Yo" Mulkan was the only Thai woman taken hostage by Hamas.

She says they will celebrate with an indulgent meal - fried pork with garlic and "the best sticky rice we've got". She also plans to hold a small homecoming ceremony, widely believed by Thais to be a way to bring back a soul that has been spooked during a traumatic experience.

Narissara Chanthasang's husband is among the nine Thais still held by Hamas

Bunyarin, who has been caring for Yo's two children, said her daughter sent home half her salary every month - 25,000 Thai baht ($715; £560). Many of the workers borrow money to go to Israel and send home savings to support their families and pay off debt.

Around 8,500 Thai nationals have been repatriated from Israel since the 7 October attack. But the BBC understands that some have since returned, likely driven by debt and joblessness back home. Many have previously told BBC Thai about their harrowing work conditions in Israel, such as unsanitary living quarters, as well as being overworked and underpaid.

The temporary truce was scheduled to end on Thursday, but has now been extended by at least one day.

That has given Narissara Chanthasang fresh hope - her husband, Nattapong Pinta, is still a Hamas hostage.

"I felt like my heart was being squeezed when I learned that he hadn't been freed yet," she said. "I will definitely go to the airport [when he returns]. Nothing will stop me."

Mr Pornsawan says he "would have been happier if all of our friends could return". He says he had lived "day by day" in captivity, and tried not to think of the possibility that he might never go home.

How does he feel now he's back? "I can't put it into words. This is the happiest day of my life."

Mr Khongpana was eager to take him home. His son loves cooking, but this time, his father said, they had cooked something "I know he will love".

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