How were hostages treated by Hamas? Reasonably good considering the circumstances, according to short responses from victims who have already been released. Thai migrant worker Anucha Angkaew is now the first to testify in detail about what he experienced. “We were locked up with six people in a 2 m² room,” he said in an interview with the Reuters news agency. “During the first few days we were badly beaten, I thought I was going to die. Then we moved to another location and the violence stopped.”
Angkaew had taken to the shelter on October 7 because of the rain of rockets fired from Gaza into the border region. When he came out, he expected to see Israeli soldiers. However, together with five Thai colleagues, he encountered armed fighters. The Palestinian flags on their sleeves revealed that they belonged to Hamas. “We shouted ‘Thailand, Thailand!’, but it made no difference to them,” said Angkaew.
Two Thais were immediately shot dead on the spot, the rest were put on a truck bound for Gaza. There they were tied with their hands behind their backs.
A terrified Israeli (18), who knew Angkaew from the kibbutz where he worked, was also led into the room. Striking: they all took kicks and punches, but the teenager was hit extra hard because of his nationality.
Whipping with electric wire
Another truck then took the five men to a small building with access to a tunnel. This led to a cramped dark room of 2 m², the available light barely made a difference.
A second Israeli joined them there. For two days they were beaten one by one, after which it was only the Israelis who were whipped with an electric wire.
Anucha himself ultimately escaped with minor injuries. However, the traces of the handcuffs are still visible on his wrists.
“Felt mostly despair”
The six hostages had to sleep on the sandy ground and were served flatbread twice a day. Two bottles of water were replenished daily so they had to share. They did their thing – under threat of a Kalashnikov – in a hole in the ground. “I mainly felt despair,” said Anucha.
After four days their situation improved. The hostages were taken through the tunnel to a more spacious place, where they could sleep on plastic sheeting. They also received nuts, butter and rice for the first time. But more importantly, the violence finally stopped.
To play chess
Anucha tried to keep track of how many days he had been imprisoned based on his meals. “I often talked about anucha craved soi ju (a Thai delicacy based on raw meat and a spicy sauce; ed.). Food had become a source of hope. To pass the time, we played chess. We had drawn the board ourselves on the plastic sheet, and we used a box of toothpaste to make the different pawns.”
On the 35th day, a man in black clothing came by for a brief inspection. “Our guards treated him with great respect, so we assumed he was a Hamas leader. Underground we had no idea of the bombings that Israel was carrying out. I thought a lot about my father, my wife and my seven-year-old daughter.”
“Saw friend die before my eyes”
And then – out of nowhere – a Hamas fighter announced that “Thailand could go home.” The four Thais were guided through the tunnels for two hours until they finally reached a Hamas building. A handful of Israeli women were also there waiting for their release.
Another eleven hours later, the hostages were handed over to the Red Cross. “I didn’t think I would ever be released again. It felt like I was born again.”
Angkaew doesn’t have to think long about the most difficult moment. “One of the colleagues who was shot was a true friend. I saw him die before my eyes.”
Also read: ANALYSIS. How Israel really wants to expel the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip (+)
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