Thailand, Egypt discuss bringing Thais out through Rafah crossing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Egypt to allow Thai officials access to the Rafah border crossing to bring Thai hostages out of conflict areas in the Gaza Strip as soon as they are released by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara was in Cairo on Wednesday for discussions with his counterpart Sameh Hassan Shoukry over a plan to bring 22 Thai hostages home as the negations with Hamas leaders continue.
Parnpree expressed his condolences to Egyptians who have been affected by the Hamas-Israel war and underlined Thailand’s stance in calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Both sides agreed to promote sincere and creative peace talks between Israel and Palestine to end the conflict.
Parnpree also urged the Egyptian government to support the negotiations with Hamas for the release of Thai and other hostages as soon as possible.
Shoukry said that Egypt will provide full support for Thailand’s efforts to bring the hostages home via the country’s Rafah border crossing, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The two sides also discussed bilateral cooperation between their countries in other areas and the upcoming celebration of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024.
As of Wednesday, the number of deaths and injuries among Thai nationals as a result of the war remained the same at 32 and 19 respectively.
