Israel celebrates the release of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari as part of the fragile truce. However, the fate of the foreign workers still kidnapped in the Strip remains a mystery. Among them are six Thais and one Nepalese, about whose fate nothing has emerged even during the negotiations of recent days. The families fear that “everything will fall apart” before their return.
Jerusalem () – In these hectic hours of joy mixed with hope in Israel for the return of the first group of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza after the signing of the trucein Thailand and Nepal Questions are being asked about the fate of fellow citizens who remain kidnapped. They represent the “forgotten face” of this tragedy that, triggered by the attack by the extremist group that controls the Strip on October 7, 2023, has claimed 1,200 lives on the Israeli side and more than 47,000 Palestinian victims, mostly civilians, including women and children. And they contrast with the images and videos released in these hours of Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, the first three hostages released under the ceasefire agreement. Relatives and compatriots wonder about his fate, which remains largely shrouded in mystery according to a script already read several times in these 15 months of conflict.
In this sense, the Israeli embassy in Bangkok said it had no certain news about the six Thai hostages still in Hamas custody. Of the eight still in the hands of the extremist group, at least two have died; of others – among whom is the Christian Watchara Sriaoun– According to a source from the diplomatic mission, “there is no information yet” and their fate is unknown, including the place where they are being held.
None of the Thais are on the list of 33 names included in the first phase of the prisoner exchange, and who should be released or whose bodies should be returned within the first 42 days after the ceasefire comes into force. Of the 31 Thais working in kibbutzim around Gaza taken hostage on October 7, 2023, 23 were freed (along with one Filipino) during the first ceasefire, in November 2023. Last May Two of them were confirmed dead, while six remain in Hamas custody.
A similar climate of expectation and hope, although against a backdrop of profound uncertainty, is also felt in a remote village in western Nepal, thousands of kilometers from Israel. As the BBC reports, Mahananda Joshi spends much of the day with his phone in his hand, waiting for news about the fate of his son Bipin Joshi, a 23-year-old agriculture student kidnapped by Hamas and held hostage in Gaza. The last time Padma, Bipin’s mother, spoke to him was on October 6, 2023, the day before his kidnapping. According to some sources, the young man is still alive, although Kathmandu’s ambassador to Israel, Dhan Prasad Pandit, said he did not yet have “any concrete information” about his condition or whereabouts.
She recounts the dramatic months of uncertainty and the feeling of waiting that still prevails and characterizes her days. I feel like today or tomorrow,” he says, “he will send me a message saying: Mom, I’m free and I’ll come home immediately.” In reality, although there is hope that the young man will be released and return home, it is unlikely that release will occur anytime soon. In fact, Bipin and the other nine foreign workers still imprisoned in the Strip are not expected to be released in this first – of three – phases of the ceasefire in which priority is given to women, children and the elderly. However, the family’s fear is that, in the meantime, the panorama will change, the ceasefire will collapse and weapons will be fired again, as the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin, has (also) threatened in recent hours. Netanyahu. And as broad sectors of the Executive demand, particularly the religious and radical wing linked to the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, and his National Security colleague, Itamar Ben-Gvir. “Everything could collapse,” concludes Padma, with tears in her eyes.
Add Comment