Thailand and Israel to strengthen relations after hostages’ release

Thai foreign minister thanks Israeli president in Jerusalem, says five hostages freed on Thursday could be home within a week

Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and Israeli President Isaac Herzog agreed to deepen ties between their countries at a Jerusalem meeting on Sunday, just three days after five Thai hostages were released by Hamas.

At the meeting, Maris thanked Israel for helping secure the release of the Thais who had been held hostage for 15 months and requested continued support in locating and freeing the final living Thai hostage, as well as facilitating the repatriation of the bodies of two others.

Maris said Israel values Thai farmers working in Israel not only as labourers but as a crucial part of its agricultural system. Ongoing cooperation between the two countries would strengthen people-to-people relations, he added.

President Herzog expressed Israel’s desire to strengthen cooperation in business, investment, security, infrastructure, and agricultural science with Thailand. Such collaboration would open new opportunities for long-lasting relations between the two countries, he said.

Herzog also praised Thailand for being a friend to all nations, calling this one of the country’s strong points.

Maris also emphasised the strong reputation earned by Thai farm workers in Israel during a meeting with Israel's interior minister, Moshe Arbel.



Arbel also praised Thailand's efforts in the hostage negotiations, highlighting its ability to engage with diverse political perspectives. Thailand, as a neutral party, had facilitated negotiations through its diplomatic channels, including with Israel and the United States, he said.Maris reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to neutrality in conflicts, underscoring its humanitarian cooperation with Israel and other countries. 

He also provided an update on five released hostages, saying they were undergoing health checks and a decision would be made within a week on whether they were fit to fly back to Thailand. The Thai military was on standby to repatriate the five Thai nationals as quickly as possible, he said.

However, he cautioned that chartering a special flight for such a small number of passengers would incur high costs.

(2025/02/03-00:00)