The number of Thais killed in the Israel–Hamas war is among the highest in terms of nationality, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday after returning from his overseas trip.
"Thai people are not part of this fight, but our country has the most losses," he said.
"Our urgent priority is to repatriate Thais who want to return home," he said, adding that any commercial airlines with available aircraft are welcome to contact the Foreign Affairs Ministry to help with evacuation.
At present, about 200 Thais can be evacuated per day, he said, adding at this rate, it will take a month to repatriate all 6,000 Thai workers who have requested to go home.
"We've thought about evacuation via land transportation, but the route needs to pass the Gaza Strip, which is an impossible action," he said.
"We've thought about flying Thais to neighbouring countries, like Egypt, but some of the Thai people lost their passports," he said. "But this should not be a problem. The government will make sure that the Foreign Affairs Ministry has local officials to help."
According to an AFP report on Thursday, Thailand has the second-highest number of fatalities at 21, following the United States with 22 deaths.
The ministry announced that the number of Thais injured in Israel was 14, while the number of Thais expressing their intention to return home had escalated to 5,990 as of Thursday.
There are about 30,000 Thais in Israel, most of them working in the agricultural sector, according to government figures.
The Ministry of Transport on Thursday said it has secured cooperation with at least three airlines -- Thai AirAsia, Thai Airways International and Nok Air -- which have agreed to arrange repatriation flights in three days' time.
Meanwhile, the PM said the chief of defence forces Gen Songwit Noonpakdi was asking his Israeli counterpart to help gather and transport Thais to the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv.
Dubai, UAE or India are now considered as possible hubs for Thais as they wait for repatriation flights to take them home later, said Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit.
He was speaking after a meeting on Thursday with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
Aside from these countries, the government has also sought permission from other countries near Israel, including Jordan, to operate repatriation flights as well if necessary, said Mr Suriya.
Travelling in Israel now has become a challenge as many roads are closed, and the only possible option to ensure that all Thais who intend to return home reach the airport safely is to travel in an Israeli military vehicle, said Mr Srettha.
Another challenge now is the likelihood that Israeli airspace could be shut down soon, and the repatriation flights sent to Israel might not be able to take people back home as planned, he said.
"We have to accept the truth that the situation [in Israel] is intensifying, with rocket attacks continuing literally all the time. And if Israeli airspace remains open and the war situation improves, we will still have hope," said Mr Srettha.
The air force has already planned to dispatch on Sunday an aircraft to repatriate about 120 Thais from Israel in the morning and another 100 later in the afternoon. The next repatriation flight planned by the air force will follow on Oct 18.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Jakkapong Sangmanee, meanwhile, said the ministry was coordinating talks with Hamas for the release of 16 Thai hostages.
The ministry was trying to communicate with Hamas via international embassies in Thailand that have good relations with the Palestinians while also seeking help from Asean and other international organisations.
