Iran says it helped broker release of Thais held in Gaza

Iran said Saturday it helped broker the surprise release of Thai nationals who had been held by Palestinian militants in war-ravaged Gaza since their shock attack on Israel last month.

An image grab from a handout video released by the Hamas Media Office shows members of its Al-Qassam Brigades leading hostages over to officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza on 24 November 2023. AFP - ALEX MITA

"The issue of Thai prisoners was jointly pursued by the Islamic Republic of Iran and Qatar," Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told the official IRNA news agency.

On Friday, Hamas unexpectedly released 10 Thais and a Filipino, along with the 13 Israeli women and children that were part of a temporary truce deal with Israel.

Israel in turn freed 39 Palestinian women and children from its prisons.

"A list of names of these prisoners was given to Hamas officials to review and assist with the issue from a humanitarian perspective," Kanani added.

The Thai foreign ministry confirmed the releases on Saturday, saying the 10 individuals -- nine men and one woman -- had been taken to Israel via Egypt.

It added that roughly 20 Thais are among the estimated 215 people still held hostage in Gaza.

The releases took place as a temporary truce paused fighting in Gaza for the first time since 7 October when Hamas gunmen attacked southern Israel, killing at least 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 240 more hostage, according to Israeli figures.

Israel has responded with a withering bombing campaign on Gaza, that has killed more than 15,000 people, most of them women and children, according to the Hamas-run government.

During the four-day truce, Hamas is expected to free a total of 50 Israeli hostages, some of them dual nationals, in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners, under an agreement brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

On Thursday, Kanani welcomed the temporary truce as "the first step in the path of completely stopping war crimes committed by the Zionist regime against Palestinian people."

Iran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has hailed the 7 October attacks as a "success" but denied any direct involvement.

Tehran has made support for the Palestinian cause a centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

 (AFP)