Thai worker killed in northern Israel

One Thai worker was found dead and another suffered a severe concussion after an anti-tank rocket was fired at the Kibbutz Yir’on Agricultural Estate in northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon on Friday morning, according to the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The area in Upper Galilee is part of a closed military zone and any Thais still present there or in other risky areas should contact the embassy for evacuation, it said in a Facebook post.
Israel has been battling Hezbollah since the Iran-backed militant group started launching cross-border attacks from Lebanon in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following the Oct 7, 2023 attack. The fighting has intensified in the past month, with more civilian casualties on both sides of the border.
“Following an anti-tank missile strike on farmland in Upper Galilee, (rescue workers) declared the death of a 27-year-old Thai foreign worker,” the Israeli emergency services provider Magen David Adom said in a post on X on Friday.
Thai nationals in Israel have been particularly hard hit since the start of the war with Hamas, with at least 39 killed as a result of the Oct 7 attack on southern Israel.
Of the 31 Thais originally taken hostage by Hamas last October, 23 have been released. Two were confirmed dead in May and the fate of the remaining six is unknown.
Nikorndej Balankura, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that for Thais seeking to leave Israel, flight disruptions and cancellations because of hostilities in the region are a concern.
“Therefore, the ministry has been in contact with the Thai communities in these conflict areas to keep them informed about the latest developments,” he said on Friday.
“The ministry and Thai embassies in the Middle East have already weighed up various courses of action, including evacuation, if necessary.
“Thais living in high-risk zones should consider evacuating while the situation allows them to do so. To those who want to enter the conflict area, especially northern Israel and southern Lebanon, please avoid.”