Thailand’s Ministry of Labour has announced that it will resume sending agricultural workers to Israel this week after an eight-month hiatus.
The move aims to have more than 10,000 Thai nationals working in Israel by the end of the year.
Before the war with Hamas broke out in October last year, around 30,000 Thai workers were employed in Israel’s agriculture sector, making Thais one of the country’s largest migrant worker groups.
But the situation changed dramatically on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 39 Thai workers and kidnapping 32, according to the Thai government.
Six of the hostages are believed to still be held.
In a statement, the Thai Ministry of Labour stressed the importance of worker safety. “The government has asked the Israeli government for cooperation in urging employers to pay attention to the safety of Thai workers,” the ministry said.
A Thai national released from Hamas custody walks towards a bus as he leaves Shamir Hospital in Ramle, Israel, on his way back to Thailand, Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. Associated Press Photo/Maya Levin
The first group of about 100 workers is due to leave Bangkok tomorrow, with the next group due to follow in early July.
The reopening comes as many Thai workers, especially from rural areas in the northeast, are seeking employment opportunities in Israel, attracted by the prospect of higher wages that could help them escape the mounting debt burden that is plaguing millions in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
