Thai death toll in Israel conflict reaches 33, repatriation efforts underway

The ongoing conflict in Israel has seen the death toll rise to 33 for Thai workers, with an additional 18 injured, as announced by Foreign Affairs Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara on Wednesday. Furthermore, 18 Thai workers have been captured as hostages by the extremist group, Hamas. This figure was previously reported incorrectly as 19.

Reuters, citing an update from the Israeli government, stated that out of the 220 individuals held hostage by Hamas, 54 were Thai nationals. According to data from Israeli authorities, the identities of 24 of the 33 deceased Thai workers have been confirmed, stated Minister Parnpree.

In the face of this Israel conflict crisis, the Thai government is striving to repatriate the workers who have registered to return and has sent a team of negotiators to assist in releasing the hostages. As of yesterday, 547 Thais have successfully returned to Thailand from Israel.

Specifically, 268 individuals landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport on El Al flight LY085 at 10.20am, 145 on a Royal Thai Air Force aircraft at Don Mueang airport at 11.50am, and 134 on Thai Lion Air flight SL7005 at Don Mueang Airport at 2.50pm.

In addition, seven bodies of Thai workers tragically killed in the Israel conflict were repatriated on El Al flight LY083, which arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport at 10.35am yesterday.

Pairoj Chotikasathien, the Labour Ministry’s permanent secretary, noted that 4,531 Thais have been repatriated from Israel across 27 flights to date, reported Bangkok Post.

In a session at the House of Representatives yesterday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin addressed concerns regarding the government’s plans to assist Thais stranded in Israel. He revealed that more than half of the approximately 8,000 Thais who have registered for repatriation have successfully been returned home.

However, 61 year old prime minister also acknowledged the difficulties faced by the evacuation teams in the past four to five days. Many Israeli employers have begun offering higher wages to encourage Thai workers to stay in the country.

In response to this, the Thai PM assured the workers not to worry about their wages, promising that the government would find ways to help clear their debts.

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