The Foreign Ministry has confirmed three more Thai workers were taken hostage during the Hamas attack on Israel, revising up the total number of Thai hostages to 22, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday.
He was answering reporters' questions at the Wing 23 air terminal at Udon Thani airport before his official trip to Laos.
The records also show that the number of those killed and injured in the attack remained at 32 and 19, respectively, as of Sunday.
The situation in Israel has now deteriorated as Israel's retaliatory ground offensive has begun, leading to travel difficulties within the area, according to the premier.
As of yesterday, 7,415 Thai workers had returned home; 630 of those arrived just yesterday, divided into three flights.
However, as some still live in Israel, Mr Srettha suggested those Thai workers should quickly contact Thai authorities and register for evacuation from the country before the situation becomes even worse.
"Today, I will talk to the Foreign Affairs Minister [Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara] for situation updates. More people may have to leave for negotiations," he added.
Thai officials were engaged in talks for the release of the Thai hostages. The armed forces supreme commander had been in Malaysia as part of this process, Mr Srettha said.
Asked whether Hamas had targeted Thai workers, Mr Srettha said he did not think so because Thailand was not involved in the Israel-Hamas conflict in the first place.
"We, in fact, are more likely victims of the war because there are more workers from Thailand in Israel than from other countries," Mr Srettha said.
Asked about Thais who may have been stranded near the Gaza Strip, Mr Srettha admitted some were still listed as missing.
"We are still assessing the situation. But, with the ground offensive, communications are shut down, making it more difficult [to assess the situation]," he said.
