Thai Hamas prisoner speaks out about mistreatment of Israelis.

A recently released Thai hostage revealed that Israeli captives held with him by Hamas were subjected to physical abuse, including beatings with cables. The Thai national, not named in the report, informed the IDF that the Israelis faced harsher treatment compared to other foreign hostages. The captives, severely underfed, were given only one pita a day, occasionally supplemented with shared cans of tuna or a piece of cheese. The testimony aligns with previous accounts of mistreatment by Hamas.

The Thai worker, part of a group taken during the October 7 events in southern Israel, highlighted the large compound where they were held. The hostages, primarily Thai farmhands employed in Israel, endured challenging conditions. While 23 Thai hostages were released separately from a Qatar-brokered truce, nine remain in Hamas captivity.

Prof. Ronit Lubetzky from Ichilov Hospital noted that children among the hostages lost 10-17 percent of their body weight during the 50-plus-day captivity. In contrast to the Israeli hostages, the release of the Thai nationals did not involve an exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, visiting the freed Thai hostages, emphasized Israel’s commitment to bringing back all hostages and expressed hope for the release of those still held by Hamas. Cohen described Israeli-Thai relations as a “true friendship.”