Bangkok:

Four Thai people were killed in a rocket attack from Lebanon in northern Israel, Thailand’s foreign minister said on Friday.

Maris Sangiampongsa, in his post on social media platform

Five people, including a local farmer and four foreign agricultural workers, were killed in a rocket attack from Lebanon, the head of the regional council in Metula said late Thursday.

About 30,000 Thai citizens live in Israel, where salaries are much higher than in the Southeast Asian kingdom.

Thai citizens in Israel have been hit particularly hard since the start of the war with Hamas; At least 39 people died as a result of the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

More than two dozen people are thought to have been captured by militants during the attack.

During a brief ceasefire in November, 23 Thais were released from captivity.

The Israeli military said in May that two Thai citizens died in captivity in Gaza.

After more than 11 months of cross-border conflict that displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border, the Israeli military intensified air strikes against Hezbollah in mid-September and later launched limited ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Maris added: “Thailand continues to strongly urge all parties to return to the path of peace, on behalf of the innocent civilians seriously affected by this protracted and deepening conflict.

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