What happened to Thai citizens in Israel?

Thai citizens have suffered a lot because of the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. Thailand’s foreign ministry has also confirmed that 12 Thai nationals lost their lives because of the conflict. According to Bangkok’s Labour Ministry, nearly 30,000 Thais are currently present in Israel. The government in Thailand has expressed their concern over the recent conflict between Hamas and the Israeli authorities. 

What happened to Thai citizens in Israel?

On 9 October, Thailand’s foreign ministry said that 12 Thai nationals had been killed in Israel because of the conflict. The unrest also injured 8 more Thai citizens. Thailand’s foreign ministry also said that Hamas from the Gaza Strip also kidnapped 11 Thai nationals. 

Kanchana Patarachoke, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, told reporters on Monday that the Thai authorities were working to help all Thai citizens in Israel.

Reportedly, around 1,099 Thai nationals in Israel have registered to return home. Thai air force planes would help them to come back to Thailand.

What did Thai ministers say?

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the Minister of Labor of Thailand, has said that there are around 30,000 Thais in Israel working in the agriculture sector. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that Israeli forces would start to work to move Thai workers away from danger zones in Israel. 

Labor Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said, “We have about 5,000 laborers working in the fighting zone in Israel.”

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin condemned the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israelis. He urged the two parties to be calm.

Israel-Hamas conflict

Israel-Hamas conflict started on 7 October. Hamas broke the Gaza–Israel barrier and attacked Israeli settlements. Subsequently, Israel declared a “state of war.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned about further escalation in the ongoing conflict. 

More than 1100 people have already been killed because of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The militants also took at least 100 people hostage. The US said that several Americans were also killed in the conflict. Ten Nepalese were also killed in the unrest in Israel.