Israel-Hamas war: Amidst the fear and terror, unlikely friendship blossoms between freed hostages

Amid the terror of living in captivity, they formed an unlikely but now-prized friendship.

Danielle Aloni and her daughter were among dozens of people snatched by Hamas militants from a kibbutz in southern Israel. Nutthawaree Munkan was working as an agricultural worker when she was seized the very same day and held captive in the Gaza Strip.

The three women were freed in the first week of hostage releases, amid a ceasefire that finally broke down in the early hours of Friday morning. 

Reunited in a video call a few days later, the bond between an Israeli mother and daughter and the Thai woman filled the hospital room with unbridled joy.

The women later spoke via video call for five minutes – and proved that language barriers need not be a block to true friendship.

“Both of us [Aloni and her daughter] give you a big hug,” 45 year old Danielle Aloni said, “I love you and I told you while we were there that we are family.”

Aloni spoke in Hebrew in the video of the Wednesday meeting released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Nutthawaree, speaking from the Israel-based hospital, replied in Thai.

With a flurry of air kisses and a wide smile that required no translation at all, the pair demonstrated that relationships made in the darkest situation can sometimes bring a great deal of light.

With her partner – another freed captive – looking on and a Thai-speaking Israeli psychologist assisting with the conversation, Nutthawaree waved at the screen as Aloni’s 5-year-old daughter, Emilia, sang to her.

Nutthawaree, holding a small Israeli flag, counted to 10 on her fingers as Emilia recited her numbers in the Thai that Nutthawaree had taught her during the seven weeks they spent as hostages.

It was not clear where Aloni and her daughter were speaking from, but they had already been discharged from the hospital and returned to their home.

When Hamas militants stormed into Israeli villages and towns just across the Gaza border, Aloni and her daughter were visiting her sister’s family at a kibbutz, Nir Oz. A quarter of the community’s 400 residents were either kidnapped or killed.

In all, some 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 240 hostages were taken to Gaza.

Nearly 40 Thai agricultural workers were slain and another three dozen kidnapped.

According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, 35 year old Nutthawaree came to Israel in search of employment.

While working on a farm in the community of Mivtachim, she met her partner, Bunthom Phankong. Both were taken captive on 7 October.

The Thai hostages are being released in conjunction with the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that has seen Israelis traded for Palestinian prisoners.

Nutthawaree, Bunthom, Aloni and her daughter were all released on the first day of the truce – Friday, 24 November.

Details of their time in captivity are not yet available and it’s not clear if Nutthawaree and Aloni and her daughter spent the entire time together.

During their video call reunion, though, the trauma of their shared ordeal was set aside – for a few minutes at least.

“At the first opportunity, we will come to Thailand. What joy to see her like this,” Danielle Aloni said. All the while, psychologist Daniel Porat was on hand to translate her words into Thai.

“She says that you are also beautiful and Emilia is beautiful,” the psychologist told Aloni on Nutthawaree’s behalf. “She misses you a lot.”