The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants has tragically claimed the lives of 12 Thai nationals, as confirmed by the Thai government on Monday.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke stated that the Thai embassy in Israel received this distressing news from the victims’ employers.
Additionally, it was reported that eight Thai citizens were wounded, and eleven others were taken captive since the eruption of the conflict following a large-scale attack by Hamas on Saturday.
Approximately 30,000 Thai workers are currently in Israel, with many employed in the agricultural sector, according to the Thai labor ministry. In response to the escalating situation, Labor Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn revealed that Israeli forces have initiated the relocation of workers from high-risk areas.
“There are 1,099 who have registered to return home,” Phiphat said in an interview on Thai television.
“We have about 5,000 labourers working in the fighting zone.”
Although the date and other specifics of any evacuation were still being worked out, a spokeswoman for the foreign ministry, Kanchana said, Thai air force jets were ready to bring citizens home.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a warning that the confrontation between Israel and Gaza has already claimed more than 1,100 lives and that it will be “long and difficult” to win.
