KUT YANG, Thailand — Inside a church in north-eastern Thailand the Sriaoun family gathered on Oct 6, their voices rising and falling in song, tears rolling down the eyes of some, as they prayed for the safe return of their oldest son.

Watchara Sriaoun, 32, is one of six Thais believed to be held captive by Hamas since the war began last October.

For a year now, the Sriaoun family, along with their fellow church members, has prayed every week for his return. But there has been scant news.

"We can only pray to God," said Wiwwaro Sriaoun, Watchara's mother. "Asking people doesn't give us answers, and even the village chief or headman cannot confirm anything."

At least 240 people — Israelis and foreign nationals — were abducted to Gaza on Oct 7, 2023, by Hamas militants who burst across the border into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli authorities.

The attack provoked an Israeli offencive which in the past 12 months has laid waste to the Palestinian territory of Gaza and killed almost 42,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.

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