On Thursday, January 30, a chaotic exchange between Israel and Hamas saw the release of eight more hostages by Hamas militants, further complicating the already fragile ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. The swap, part of a deal aimed at ending the war between the two sides, came after a brief delay in the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners by Israel.
The exchange of hostages for prisoners has become a key component of the ceasefire agreement that was put in place to halt the violence following Hamas militants’ abduction of dozens of Israelis on October 7, 2023. Hamas also confirmed the death of Mohammed Deif, the head of its military wing and one of the key figures behind the October 7 attack. This confirmation came six months after Israel had reported that Deif had been killed in an airstrike in Gaza.
Among the hostages released were three Israelis and five Thai nationals, all of whom had been taken hostage over 15 months ago while working on farms in southern Israel. In exchange, Israel released 110 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 individuals who were serving life sentences for deadly attacks against Israelis. Of those prisoners, seven were allowed to return to the occupied West Bank, while the rest were sent to Egypt before being deported to other locations.
The release of prisoners was followed by a chaotic hostage handover in the Gaza Strip, where masked militants hurriedly moved the captives through a throng of thousands of Palestinians. Seven of the hostages were freed in front of the destroyed home of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s slain leader. The first hostage, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier named Agam Berger, was paraded in front of a smaller crowd in the heavily damaged Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Later, the chaotic scene intensified as Arbel Yehoud, a 29-year-old hostage, was seen looking stunned as masked militants rushed her through the shouting crowd in the southern city of Khan Younis. Other hostages released included Gadi Moses, an 80-year-old Israeli man, and five Thai laborers. Yehoud and Moses hold dual German-Israeli nationality.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the “shocking scenes” surrounding the hostage handover and urged international mediators to ensure the safety of hostages during future releases. The Thai nationals freed included Watchara Sriaoun, 33; Pongsak Thaenna, 36; Sathian Suwannakham, 35; Surasak Rumnao, 32; and Bannawat Saethao, 27. Thai officials reported that they appeared to be in good health. Earlier in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were among the 100 hostages released during a weeklong ceasefire. However, three Thai nationals remain in captivity, with two of them believed to be dead..
