Hamas terrorists kidnapped women, children and the elderly during their attack on Israel on 7 October. They also seized 54 Thai nationals, suggesting that one in four of the estimated 220 hostages held in Gaza could be migrant farm workers. Thais also made up the largest single group of foreign nationals who are dead or missing after the attack, with 24 killed and 21 unaccounted for. Thailand is one of the largest sources of foreign farm labour in Israel – Thai nationals started moving to Israel in the 1980s and the two governments signed an agreement in 2011 that allowed Thais to work in Israel for five years in the agricultural sector. There are around 30,000 Thais working in the country’s farms and orchards – although the Thai government has been organising evacuation flights for those who now wish to leave.