Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara held back tears when he met fellow Thais released to Israel by Hamas after seven weeks of captivity and said he hoped for freedom soon for the remaining 13 hostages.

Another two Thai workers were set free on Tuesday, bringing the total released to 19. With their arrival at Shamir Medical Center, the workers embraced one another. “We survived! We survived!” they cheered, and one was seen wiping away tears.

“We are not part of the conflict,” Parnpree said in a Reuters interview later on Wednesday after an emotional meeting with the workers on Tuesday. He said there were no conditions for their release.

“I went around to speak to various countries who can connect with the Hamas group to explain that the Thai workers are innocent, they are not involved in politics, they are not part of anyone’s conflict, and they probably don’t even know how the situation came to be, who’s fighting with whom. They were there to earn a living,” he said in the interview.