Thai couple clung to hope and prayers during Hamas captivity

They enjoyed their first home cooked Thai meal with sticky rice and papaya salad as they recounted their experiences.

Natthawaree was captured by the Hamas from a kibbutz near the Gaza border along with her partner 45-year-old Boonthom Phankhong on Oct. 7.

"All we had was hope and prayers," said Natthawaree while recounting her traumatic ordeal.

Unsure of how long after being taken from Israel territory, the pair was separated until being released.

Both had worked together for four years in Israel. They had aspirations of building a family after amassing savings from their work in Israel, planning a return in 2024.

However, their plans were disrupted by the incident involving Hamas on October 7th.

“We kept encouraging each other, saying that we had to survive, that there will be agencies coming to help us," Boonthom told Reuters. "All we could do was sit and wait, lying there, waiting and giving each other strength."

Despite the war and captivity, however, Natthawaree said she had good memories of her time in Israel, before the Oct. 7 attack when Hamas militants rampaged through Israel killing more than 1,000 people and taking more than 200 hostage.

"If there's a chance of going back, we want to return (to Israel)," Natthawaree. "Because there were many good things that left a lasting impression in our hearts."

She has hope that they will stop fighting and expressed her desire to return to Israel.

Before the war, around 30,000 Thai labourers, mostly from the country's rural northeast, worked in Israel's agriculture sector, making them one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country.

Many come to Israel seeking higher pay to send money back home to their families where some are sole providers.

Reuters