October 7 · Personal story
Khomkrit Chombua
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Israel
Current outcome
Released alive · November 25, 2023
Chombua was released alive on November 25, 2023, after 50 days in captivity.
01
Before Israel
Khomkrit Chombua left rural Surin for Israel about four years before the attack. Before that, he delivered goods for Tesco Lotus in Bangkok and lived from hand to mouth; he said a decade of saving there would not have bought a home. In Israel he worked first in agriculture and later construction. His parents had not wanted him to leave. His father, Sunan, was a subsistence rice farmer; before Khomkrit left, the family had no proper house and little money. Sunan said Khomkrit wanted to help: money he sent home let them replace their small hut with a proper house.
02
October 7
On October 7, 2023, a photograph shared online showed Chombua among hostages taken in Israel. His father, Sunan, recognized him immediately. Chombua had called his parents every weekday, usually asking whether his father had eaten and saying he would send money soon. Sunan waited for news for three weeks and asked the government to negotiate faster because he wanted to see his son come home.
03
In captivity
Chombua spent 50 days in captivity in Gaza. The first signal he received that release was coming was three words in English: “You go Thailand.” He later said he felt happy when he heard them, missed his family, worried about them, and was unsure he would get out. He thanked those involved in his release but declined to discuss the conditions of captivity.
04
Return
Thailand’s prime minister named Chombua among four Thai workers released on November 25, 2023. He returned to Bangkok with other freed workers days later. At Suvarnabhumi Airport, three cousins wrapped him in hugs; he arrived in a T-shirt printed with Thai and Israeli flags. The release ended 50 days away from the family whose home he had helped build.
05
After his return
Chombua told Al Jazeera that he was grateful for the chance to work overseas and help build a home for his family. His cousin Piyanus had described the reason plainly: he left because money and opportunity were better than in Isaan. After returning, Chombua said he had missed his family and worried about them throughout captivity; he had not been sure he would see them again.