Over a thousand Thais in Israel want repatriation

Thai Labor Minister told a news conference on Monday that most of the Thais want to return home have been working near Gaza, where fighting has been raging between Israeli defense forces and Hamas militants. As of Sunday, he disclosed that about 5,000 Thais have been evacuated from Gaza to safety and evacuation is continuing.

Unconfirmed accounts from Israeli employers suggest that as many as 12 Thais could have been killed in Hamas attacks. The figures are yet to be verified by Israeli authorities. There are about 30,000 Thais in Israel, most of them working on farms. The Royal Thai Air Force has arranged for an Airbus 340 and four C-130 transport planes to evacuate them.