When the mother of one of the Thai hostages held in the Gaza Strip for over a year caught sight of her son on a Facebook livestream after his release Thursday, he had changed so much that she didn’t recognize him at first.

Hamas released eight hostages, including three Israelis and five Thais, as part of a hostage-for-prisoner exchange.

Three Israeli hostages and five Thai nationals held by Hamas in Gaza since the 7 October 2023 have been released. Agam Berger, a 20-year-old Israeli soldier, was reunited with her family at a military base in southern Israel after being handed over by armed Palestinian fighters to the Red Cross in Jabalia, northern Gaza, on Thursday.