Freed hostage describes treatment by Hamas during his 50 days in captivity: ‘I thought I would die'
A 28-year-old Thai hostage who was freed by Hamas after spending 50 days in captivity in the Gaza Strip says he and his fellow countrymen relied on playing chess games on a makeshift board and memories of their families to make it through beatings by the terrorists.
Anucha Angkaew, a farm worker in southern Israel, told Reuters that he and five Thai colleagues shouted “Thailand, Thailand” when they were confronted by 10 militants on Oct. 7, “but they didn’t care.”
After two of his colleagues were killed, including a friend shot dead in front of him, Angkaew said he and the rest were brought into Gaza and spent nearly all of their time there inside two underground rooms.
"I thought I would die," he told Reuters from his family home in Thailand, describing how his captors would punch and kick them, while the Israelis were whipped with electrical wires.
During one stretch, Angkaew said he and five others were served flat bread and two bottles of water between them daily – and if they wanted to take bathroom breaks, they had to be escorted by an armed guard to a hole in the ground near the 5 by 5-foot room where they were being held.
The ordeal ended on Nov. 25 when a guard served them a meal and said “Thailand, go home,” according to Angkaew. He told Reuters he was then led through tunnels for around two hours before being handed over to the Red Cross.
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