October 7 · Personal story
Watchara Sriaoun
Abducted
October 7, 2023
Abduction location
Nir Oz area
Current outcome
Released alive · January 30, 2025
Released from Gaza with four Thai workers
01
Life before
Watchara grew up in Tha Li, Kumphawapi district, Udon Thani, where his family home stood among rice fields and cassava plots. He was the eldest son and, his family said, its main provider. In a February 2024 family interview, he was 32 and had worked in Israeli agriculture for three years; his younger brother also worked there, but in another region. His eight-year-old daughter Irada lived with his parents. The family hoped his wages would help repay more than 400,000 baht owed to the agricultural bank. Watchara had hoped to come home briefly for New Year and spend time with his daughter.
02
Abduction
Watchara’s family last spoke with him on 19 September 2023, his mother’s birthday. On 6 October, she called to ask about buying land near home, but he did not answer. On Sunday, 8 October, after church, the family learned of the attack and could not reach either son as phone and internet connections failed. His mother recalled that he had described the Nir Oz workplace as secure and said workers could shelter in a concrete protected room. Watchara was taken from the Nir Oz area on 7 October.
03
Captivity
For nearly a month, the family could not find Watchara on lists of either the living or the dead. His aunt received a video from a Thai worker showing bodies in the kibbutz; the family feared one person might be him, then noticed that person did not wear Watchara’s usual black wristband. In 2024, his daughter prayed for her father’s return. After his release, his mother said he told her there had been little food and times when he could not shower.
04
Return
Thai officials named Watchara among five Thai workers released on 30 January 2025. He returned to Thailand on 9 February. At the family home, his parents and nine-year-old daughter embraced him, and relatives gave him yellow marigolds. Watchara said he felt “reborn.”
05
Aftermath
The family reunited at their home in Udon Thani. A photograph caption identified Watchara with his grandfather Sompong in Kut Yang village on 9 February 2025. His daughter, who had lived with her grandparents while he worked abroad, could welcome him home in person.