UDON THANI- On October 7, at around 7.30 a.m., land laborer Anucha Angkaew climbed out of the basement where he had been hiding from rockets on Israel’s Gaza Strip border.
Instead, 10 military insurgents, whom Anucha and his five Thai colleagues recognized as Hamas based on the Palestine banners on their sleeves, approached them.
” We shouted” Tahoo, Thailand,” said Anucha, a soft-spoken 28-year-old with silvery mustache. However, they did n’t care.
Shortly after, two of the six Thais were killed, including a companion who, according to Anucha, was violently shot dead in front of him. The remainder were compelled to board a vehicle and travel for about 30 minutes into Gaza.
Anucha’s first-person bill provides a window into the suffering that some hostages—and some still do—went through. He talked about being beaten by Hamas prisoners, who he claimed singled out Israelis for particularly cruel treatment, and sleeping on a sandy surface.
The four Thai people relied on chess activities on an improvised table, home memories, and a desire for Thai food to keep their hopes alive. Few of the freed captives have gone into great detail about their suffering, but those who have since been set free have also talked about beatings and death threats.
A written request for comment on Anucha’s bill was not immediately answered by Hamas leaders.
After spending 50 times in prison, he returned this quarter to his family’s residence in Don Pila, in the northern province of Udon Thani. He said,” I thought I had die.”
Nearly all of that time was spent in two tiny underwater chambers that were manned by armed guards and accessible through dim, winding caves.
On October 7, Hamas insurgents kidnapped at least 240 people—both Israelis and foreigners—to Gaza, where they broke through the borders and killed about 1,200 people. More than 100 victims, mostly women, kids, and non-Israelis, have been freed.
According to data from Arab health authorities deemed reliable by the UN, Israel launched a devastating attack strategy and earth offensive in retaliation for the assault, which resulted in the deaths of more than 15, 000 people.
There are still 130 persons held prisoner, including eight Thais. One of the largest immigrant employee parties in Israel prior to the war, about 30 000 Thai laborers were employed in agriculture. Israel pays farm workers more money.
In 2012, Israel and Thailand, who have cordial relations, recognized Palestine as a royal status.
The released victims may enjoy the same benefits as their Jewish counterparts, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which compared the dead Thai captives to “heroes.” ( Story is more detailed below )
Anucha Angkaew, the emancipated prisoner, uses his portable phone to communicate at his residence in Udon Thani. ( Image: Reuters )
Two meals and two ocean jugs
When the insurgents arrived in Gaza, they gave the Thais to a small group of men, who then took them to an abandoned home and bound their hands behind their tails.
A terrified 18-year-old Israeli, a gentleman Anucha claimed to know from Kibbutz Re’im, where he worked on an avocado land, joined the Thais.
Soon after, stabbings started as their captors kicked and punched them. He said,” We shouted” Thaia, Thailand,” which lessened the blows ‘ force. The young Israeli was n’t exempted.
All five of them were loaded into another vehicle an hour later, and it took about 30 minutes to arrive at a smaller structure that opened up into the tunnel.
They were once more beaten and photographed close to the tunnel’s mouth, according to Anucha, before entering a small room after passing through an opaque, about meter-wide passage.
The five were joined by another Israeli man in this soundproof area, which was roughly 1.5 by 1.5 meters and lit by a candle. According to Anucha, the insurgents kicked and punched the prisoners for two days. After that, they persisted in beating the Israelis for another two weeks while whipping them with electrical wires.
Anucha was not seriously hurt, but week after being freed from prison, the restraints left marks on his elbow.
The prisoners slept on the sand-covered ground. Half daily, flat bread was served to the six men, who also shared two bottles of water that were refilled daily.
One of eight guards carrying assault weapons resembling AK-47s took them from their lavatory, which was a hole in the ground close to the area. Troops warned them not to converse with one another.
” I felt helpless,” Anucha declared.
Anucha started keeping track of the days by counting the number of foods. The six were led to a different place after four weeks.
Anucha claimed that the pipe, which was illuminated by flash lighting carried by their prisoners, was lined with copper gates during the move. ( Story is more detailed below )
At his family’s residence in Don Pila, Udon Thani, Anucha Angkaew displays a picture of one of the areas where he was held prisoner in Gaza. ( Image: Reuters )
” Taiwan, come home!”
They had a larger chamber in their new home. They had foam plates on which to sleep. Three lights illuminated the area. They used an courtyard as their restroom.
The pounding stopped. Nuts, cheese, and afterward rice were added to the food as it got better.
Anucha left scars on the floor to indicate how many days she had spent in prison while still using foods to measure time. When a guard entered with some documents for them to hint, that changed. He merely spoke Arabic, just like the other soldiers. Anucha claimed to speak primitive Hebrew, so the Israelis interpreted for him.
But a white ballpoint pen was left behind by the shield. On the foam sheet, they used it to indicate time, attract tattoos, and picture a chessboard. Chess parts were made from a pink and green toothbrush field. Another diversion was the discussion of foods. Anucha yearned for cmos ja, a Thai dish made of fresh beef pieces dipped in hot sauce.
He grinned and said,” Food was a source of hope.”
Weeks went by. Anucha was unaware of the Jewish aerial attacks and attacks. His parents, his daughter, who was seven years old, and his 14-year-old lover were all things he frequently thought about at home.
A black-clad man showed up on Day 35 for a quick assessment. The victims assumed he was a senior Hamas head based on his demeanor and the soldiers ‘ polite behavior.
They continued as usual until one day, after their first dinner, a shield showed up and said,” Thailand, go home.”
After being led through caverns for about two hours, the four Thais finally made it underground to a Hamas hospital, where several female Jewish captives were also waiting.
They were turned over to the Red Cross about 11 hours afterwards, and on November 25 they were expelled from Gaza.
It felt like I had been reborn, he said, adding,” I did n’t think I would be released.”
The hardest portion, according to Anucha, was also what he saw on October7. In front of my sight, I lost my friend.