Hamas still holds 10 foreign nationals as captives in Gaza

The majority of the remaining 98 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza are either Israelis or Israeli citizens who also hold a second passport from the United States and other countries. However, the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas still holds 10 foreign nationals in Gaza, which are excluded from the first phase of the hostage ceasefire deal.

Eight of the foreign nationals are from Thailand, one is from Nepal located in southern Asia and another hostage is from the east African country of Tanzania. The foreign nationals were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, while they were working in Israel’s rural southern communities close to the Gaza border. 

Thailand is among the countries most severely impacted by the Hamas-led Oct. 7 onslaught, as thousands of Thai nationals work in Israel. Approximately 49 Thai workers were killed by Hamas terrorists, including 11 who were murdered at Kibbutz Nir Oz, a rural Israeli community near the Gaza border.

Some Thai hostages were released during the first hostage deal in November 2023. The Thai government’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East have so far secured the release of 23 hostages from Hamas-captivity in Gaza. 

In November 2023, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with ambassadors of Thailand, Tanzania, Nepal and the Philippines, countries whose citizens were murdered and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. 

“We are here because of the tragedy that has befallen the people of Israel, and many people from your nations,” Herzog told the ambassadors. “We know that many of your citizens in Israel were murdered, killed, tortured, wounded, and unfortunately, taken hostage,” the Israeli president continued.

Herzog emphasized that the murdered and kidnapped foreign nationals were an integral part of the Oct. 7 tragedy. 

“I want to thank you, ambassadors. Your citizens are part and parcel of the people of Israel in facing the atrocities of the worst kind of on the 7th of October, witnessing the horrors and showing immense bravery, solidarity, and strength,” Herzog concluded. 

In December 2023, former Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen met with the father and uncle of the Tanzanian national Joshua Mollel, an agronomy student who was kidnapped from southern Israel and later confirmed murdered by Hamas. His father Loitu has been leading an international campaign to secure the release of his son’s remains from Gaza. Cohen presented Mollel’s family with a certificate for 18 trees that were planted in the memory of Mollel. 

The tragic events of Oct. 7 had a very negative impact on the Israeli agricultural system, which relies heavily on workers from African and Asian countries. Following the Hamas massacre, many foreign nationals left Israel and returned to their home countries. 

However, thousands of primarily Thai workers returned to Israel in June 2024, attracted by the prospects of earning Israeli salaries that are significantly higher than those offered in Thailand. 

While welcoming the development, the Thai Ministry of Labour stressed that Israeli authorities needed to ensure that Thai nationals would be safe while working in Israel. 

"The government asked for the cooperation of the Israeli government to help emphasize to employers to take care of the safety of Thai workers."