Watsana Yojampa had been waiting by the telephone for nearly two months, wondering whether she would get good news — or the worst possible message that a mother could hear.
Soon after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack in the Gaza Strip, Ms. Watsana’s son, Anucha Angkaew, appeared in a photograph that circulated on social media showing him with three other men being held at gunpoint, hands behind their backs.
On Sunday at 4 a.m., Ms. Watsana got the phone call that she was waiting for. Her niece learned on X, the social media site, that Mr. Anucha, an avocado farmhand in Israel, had been released, and she called her aunt. Four hours later, Thai embassy officials confirmed the news with Ms. Watsana.
“I’m so glad, so delighted, that no words can explain,” Ms. Watsana said by telephone. “They told me that my son is now under the care of a medical team in a hospital for a health checkup. I hope he is fine and safe.”
Mr. Anucha was among four Thai hostages released on Sunday by Hamas as part of a swap with Israel. Thailand’s prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, said on Sunday that the other three released hostages were: Natthaphon Onkaew, Khomkrit Chombua and Manee Jirachat. (Their names were written in Thai, and The New York Times transliterated them.)
Mr. Srettha said on X that all four men were healthy and not in need of urgent medical attention, and that their mental health appeared to be good. They asked to take showers and contact their relatives, according to Mr. Srettha.
Separately, the Thai Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Israeli authorities had increased by two the number of Thai nationals they believe to have been abducted. That means that 18 Thai nationals are still being held hostage.
