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Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a heartwarming turn of events, an Israeli mother, Daniella Aloni, and her young daughter, Emilia, recently reunited with a Thai woman, Nutthawaree “Yo” Munkan, whom they formed a close bond with during their harrowing captivity by Hamas terrorists, according to report in the New York Post. The emotional reunion took place during a five-minute video call, shared by the Israel Foreign Ministry.
Aloni, 45, expressed her deep affection, saying, “I love you, and I told you while we were there that we are family.” Munkan, who worked in agriculture and was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, responded in Thai from a hospital room, as was reported by the Post on Friday. The exchange was translated by Daniel Porat, an Israeli psychologist who treated the freed Thai hostages.
“She says that you are also beautiful and Emilia is beautiful. She misses you a lot,” Porat relayed to Aloni and five-year-old Emilia, the Post report said.
Munkan conveyed her appreciation, stating that Aloni and Emilia were beautiful and expressing how much she missed them. The Post report said that the video captured poignant moments, including Emilia counting to 10 in Thai, with Munkan counting along on her fingers. Emilia also sang what seemed to be a Thai song, adding a touching element to the reunion.
Porat passed on Munkan’s gratitude, to which Aloni responded by praising Munkan’s appearance and sending a big hug from both herself and Emilia. As was indicated in the Post report, the call concluded with Munkan blowing kisses to the phone screen, accompanied by her partner, who was also released from captivity this week. The couple held small Israeli flags, symbolizing their shared ordeal.
Aloni expressed her joy at the reunion and revealed plans to visit Thailand at the earliest opportunity, the report in the Post said. The details of the call highlighted the strong connection formed during the challenging period of captivity.
The backstory of the trio’s captivity involves Aloni and Emilia being at Kibbutz Nir Oz, visiting Aloni’s sister’s family when Hamas terrorists attacked the community on October 7. Tragically, about a quarter of the residents were killed or kidnapped during the assault, the Post reported.
Munkan, 35, had come to Israel in search of work and was employed on a farm when she met her partner, Bunthom Phankong. Both Munkan and Phankong were kidnapped by Hamas, spending nearly two months as hostages in the Gaza Strip, as was noted in the Post report. They were released on November 24 as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
While the details of whether Aloni, Emilia, Munkan, and Phankong spent the entire six-week ordeal together remain unclear, the video call serves as a powerful testament to their resilience.
