Saudi Arabia will help Thailand secure the release of Thais taken hostage during the Israel-Hamas war, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin says.
The PM posted the message on social media after an audience with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on the sidelines of the Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh on Saturday.
"[Crown Prince Mohammed] expressed sympathy for Thai workers affected [by the war]," Mr Srettha posted. "He also promised to help Thailand secure the release of Thais taken hostage so they can return home safely."
Mr Srettha also said that during the Asean-GCC Summit, several leaders discussed the Israel-Hamas war and called for the release of hostages and an end to the violence through dialogue.
He said that during a lunch hosted for the leaders, he sat next to the Sultan of Oman and discussed the war with him.
The sultan was shocked after being informed that Thailand has suffered a large number of losses, with 19 Thais taken hostage, Mr Srettha said.
Mr Srettha also said he spoke with Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah who expressed concern for the Thai hostages and condolences over the losses suffered by Thailand.
According to a source at the Royal Thai Air Force, the RTAF has obtained permission from Myanmar, India, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel to fly across their air spaces to Israel's Tel Aviv to evacuate stranded Thais.
This means that the RTAF's A340-500 aircraft, which was scheduled to fly to Israel on Saturday, will spend about 8.5 hours to reach its destination instead of 13, the source says.
Kanchana Patarachoke, spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said that as of Friday, the number of Thais killed stood at 30, with 16 wounded and 19 taken hostage.
There were 8,345 Thais registering for voluntary repatriation, while 116 wanted to remain in Israel, said Ms Kanchana, who also serves as director-general of the ministry's Department of Information.
She said the latest batch of 534 Thais were scheduled to return to Thailand on Saturday, while 140 more Thais will arrive back on Sunday on an aircraft sent by the RTAF and another 311 will also return home on an El Al flight on Sunday.
From Monday, the government will also arrange for two direct flights daily to transport Thais in Israel, and a flight to take Thais from Israel to Dubai, where another flight will be arranged to bring them home, she said.
This arrangement is expected to evacuate more than 800 Thais from Israel daily, she said, adding that Thais who have decided to remain in Israel have been urged to stay in safe places.
The RTAF commander, ACM Phanphakdee Phatthanakul, said the aircraft sent by the RTAF to evacuate the 140 Thais in Israel on Saturday was the last flight.
The RTAF will adjust its flight arrangement by sending its aircraft to pick up Thais already evacuated to the UAE on Wednesday, Saturday and Oct 31, ACM Phanphakdee said.
Asked if the RTAF will arrange for any further flights to evacuate Thais, he said the RTAF is ready for the mission if there are still Thais in Israel who will need help.
"The RTAF has been informed that there are more than 8,000 Thais who want to return home, though some may choose to remain in Israel because their employers want them to stay put [for] higher wages," he said.
"However, the RTAF is ready to support the Foreign Affairs Ministry's efforts to evacuate Thais in Israel," he said.
Meanwhile, the six-member GCC and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also called for the release of some 200 hostages held by Hamas militants, as well as the restoration of basic services for Palestinians and the delivery of humanitarian aid, their statement said.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after the Islamist militant group launched an unprecedented raid from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel on Oct 7, killing at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated or burned to death, according to Israeli officials.
Hamas gunmen also kidnapped nearly 200 hostages including foreigners from about two dozen countries ranging from Paraguay to Tanzania. The Israeli army said on Friday that most of those being held "are alive".