BANGKOK — Five Thai citizens who had been held captive by Hamas since the devastating attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, were released on Thursday. This group was part of a larger cohort of 31 Thai nationals taken by Hamas, with 23 having already been freed. Tragically, two individuals have been confirmed dead, while the fate of one remaining person is still unknown.
According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, the ongoing conflict has claimed the lives of 46 Thais, which includes those two who perished while in captivity. The victims were part of the numerous Thai workers employed in Israel, highlighting the significance of their presence in the region.
The presence of Thai workers in Israel can be traced back to changes in labor dynamics following the first Intifada from 1987 to 1993. Once mainly reliant on Palestinian workers, Israel subsequently began to bring in a substantial number of migrant laborers, particularly from Thailand. Today, Thais constitute the largest group of foreign agricultural workers in Israel, earning significantly more than they might at home. This influx was facilitated by a bilateral agreement enacted about ten years ago designed to simplify the entry of workers in agriculture.
However, the conditions under which these Thai laborers operate have raised concerns. A report released by Human Rights Watch in 2015 indicated that workers often lived in temporary and unsuitable housing arrangements, received wages that fell below the legal minimum, endured excessively long working hours, faced unsafe working environments, and had their rights to change employers denied. A more recent study confirmed that many are still receiving pay below the legal minimum wage.
Before the Hamas attack, around 30,000 Thai workers were largely involved in agricultural jobs across Israel. Following the attack, approximately 7,000 of these workers returned to Thailand, primarily through government-organized evacuations. Despite this, the allure of higher wages has continued to attract new migrants. As of Thursday, Thai ambassador to Israel Pannabha Chandraramya announced that the number of Thai workers in Israel has now risen to more than 38,000.
In response to the reduction of the workforce caused by the exodus post-Hamas attack, Israel’s Agriculture Ministry implemented measures aimed at enticing foreign laborers back to the areas from which they had evacuated. Among these initiatives were the extension of work visas and an incentive program offering bonuses of around $500 per month.
Looking ahead to 2024, Thailand’s Labor Ministry has approved permits for nearly 4,000 Thai workers to take jobs in Israel, maintaining the country’s status among the top four destinations for Thai nationals seeking employment abroad in the previous year. Workers from Thailand frequently come from economically disadvantaged areas, particularly the northeast, and even before the introduction of bonuses, the wages in Israel were several times higher than what they could earn domestically.
