Danielle Aloni, 45, spoke in Hebrew in a five-minute video of the Wednesday meeting released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Nutthawaree Munkan, speaking from the hospital, replied in Thai — and with a flurry of air kisses and a wide smile that required no translation at all.
The 17 are among 23 Thais freed so far, with six left temporarily behind in Israel. Thai officials says another nine Thai hostages are still being held in Gaza.
The comments come just two days after Musk visited Israel, where he toured a kibbutz attacked by Hamas terrorists and held talks with top leaders.
Israel and Hamas had agreed at the last minute to extend their truce to a seventh day, but further extensions proved more daunting.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that antisemitism in the U.S. has reached levels unseen in generations and called on his fellow Democrats to condemn it.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan met with about a dozen Democratic senators to discuss how the administration would ensure any U.S. weapons provided to Israel are used in accord with U.S. law.
The families of Americans being held hostage by Hamas called on the U.S. government to do everything it can to secure their release.
Hamas released 16 hostages from captivity on Wednesday. Israel has welcomed the releases and says it will maintain the truce if Hamas keeps freeing captives.
Ruth Munder, 78, told Israel’s Channel 13 that she spent the entirety of her time with her daughter, Keren, and grandson, Ohad Munder-Zichri, who celebrated his ninth birthday in captivity.
The 10-month-old was taken from his home in a southern Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7, when Palestinian terrorists abducted about 240 people and dragged them to Gaza.
Nine women and a 17-year-old among 12 hostages released by Hamas as Israel releases 30 Palestinian prisoners.
Musk has faced accusations from the Anti-Defamation League of tolerating antisemitic messages on X since purchasing it last year.
An official said Blinken would “stress the need to sustain the increased flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza,” among other priorities.
Recent attacks on commercial vessels have been conducted by Houthis, seen as part of a rise in violence in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said Monday evening that 11 hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza.
