Qatar has pledged to find the one remaining Thai hostage held by Hamas in Gaza and to help repatriate the bodies of two Thai workers, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa is currently on an official visit to Qatar where he met on Monday with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
Mr Maris expressed his appreciation for Qatar’s assistance in negotiations to secure the safe release of five Thai nationals from Gaza on Jan 30. He said he hoped the partnership could also pave the way for the safe return of the one remaining Thai hostage and the retrieval of the bodies of two who were killed earlier in the conflict.
Mr Maris told the media via a video interview on Monday that the Qatari government values the nations’ bilateral ties and stands ready to further assist Thailand.
The Qatari PM, however, noted that it would not be easy to secure the safety of the final hostage as his condition remained unverified by Hamas.
“Still, he pledged that the Qatari government would try its best. Thus, we should not give up hope,” said Mr Maris.
The Thai foreign minister also said his Israeli counterpart had confirmed on Feb 28 that the family of a Thai labourer killed after stepping on explosive ordnance while working in Israel would receive compensation.
It was reported earlier that the man’s employer said the accident was a result of carelessness and occurred outside the work area, so compensation would not apply.
As a result, Mr Maris said he raised the issue with the Israeli foreign and interior ministers, who reviewed the case and approved compensation to the victim’s family.
“I have appointed the Royal Thai Embassy to ensure that they receive compensation as soon as possible,” he said.
Fighting in Gaza has been halted since Jan 19 under a truce arranged with US support and Qatari and Egyptian mediators, and Hamas has exchanged 33 Israeli hostages and five Thais for some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that Israel was ready to proceed to the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire deal, as long as Hamas was ready to release more of the 59 hostages it is still holding.