- Hamas attack from Gaza on Israel led to 12 Thai deaths and 12 abductions.
- Eight Thai citizens injured; Thailand prepares to evacuate its citizens.
- 30,000 Thais work in Israeli agriculture, many near Gaza border.
Palestinian Hamas militants launched a large-scale attack from Gaza on Israel, resulting in the tragic loss of twelve Thai lives and the abduction of another 12 Thai nationals.
Additionally, eight Thai citizens have sustained injuries since the violence erupted last Saturday, according to Thailand’s foreign ministry.
The ministry also disclosed that they have made air force planes ready to evacuate their citizens from the region.
Israel is home to around 30,000 Thai workers, many of whom are engaged in agricultural work, with a significant number residing near the Gaza border.
Nepal has reported that ten of its citizens have also lost their lives in the conflict. Several other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, have citizens who have been killed, abducted or are currently missing in the ongoing violence in Israel.
Thailand’s labor minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, informed AFP news agency that approximately 5,000 Thai laborers are employed in the area where the fighting has been concentrated.
He mentioned that Israeli authorities have initiated efforts to relocate them to safer locations and that 1,099 workers have registered for repatriation.
Workers at a farm in Mivtahim, a town near the Gaza Strip, recounted their ordeal as Hamas militants stormed their farm after rockets were fired in the early hours of Saturday.
“The Hamas militants fired a rocket first, then they stormed our farm. I had to run and hide in my bedroom,” Udomporn Champahom told the Media.
Mr Udomporn was later rescued by Israeli soldiers. He said that a fellow Thai who was with him at the time was recovering from a gunshot wound “as big as a bottle cap” on his leg.
Another Thai worker told the Media: “I was running and crawling underneath a truck then the Hamas pulled me out and pointed the gun at me at point blank before firing to the ground.” The worker, who declined to be named, later managed to escape.
According to Wanida Maarsa, who spoke to Media, her husband Anucha Angkaew, who had been employed at an avocado farm for nearly two years, was among those abducted by the militants.
He appeared in a video Hamas put out over the weekend. “[The man in the video] is him,” she said.
“I have not been able to contact him since 02:00 Bangkok time [19:00 GMT on Friday]. I talked to him just before our daughter went to sleep,” Ms Wanida added.
Over 50 countries are believed to have their citizens employed in Israel. Nepal confirmed on Sunday that the 10 students who tragically lost their lives had traveled to Israel to work and gain agricultural skills.
One of the victims, 27-year-old Rajesh Kumar Swarnakar, is being mourned by his family in their village of Madhuwan in the eastern Sunsari district.
Rajesh, a final-year agriculture student, aspired to go to Australia, as revealed by his brother Mukesh in an interview with Media.
Mukesh expressed his reservations about sending his brother to Israel but mentioned that Rajesh insisted, citing a scholarship opportunity. Rajesh intended to save money during his time in Israel to apply for Australia after completing his program.
Their father, Raj Kumar Swarnakar, felt that Israeli authorities had shown negligence by sending his son for training in an area prone to conflict.
In addition to the tragic loss, Israeli police informed the Nepali embassy that another Nepali citizen was missing, and four others had been injured, one of them seriously.
Separately, India stated that it is actively working on repatriating its nationals from Israel. Media reports indicate that approximately 18,000 Indians reside and work in Israel.
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