MFA:Israel asks all Thais to leave Gaza Strip

BANGKOK, July 24 (TNA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that Israel has asked the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv to inform all Thai nationals working in and near Gaza Strip to leave the violence-affected areas to safe places. Rasm Chaleechan, Deputy Director General of the ministry's Department of Information, told journalists on Thursday that the Israeli government has sought cooperation from the Thai Embassy to Israel to make sure that all Thai nationals leave Gaza Strip and its vicinity for safe places immediately, although some of them wanted to remain in the war-torn areas voluntarily. Rasm acknowledged that the Thai Embassy to Israel has warned Thai nationals to stop working and to stay indoors since fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces erupted on July 8, 2014. According to the senior official, his ministry and other relevant agencies have been prepared to evacuate all Thai nationals from Israel in case of an emergency, but they first need to discuss whether and when all Thai workers should be evacuated from the Jewish state, taking all consequent impacts into consideration, including the Thai workers' welfare benefits. There are now about a total of about 25,000 Thai workers in Israel, over 4,000 of whom work in Gaza Strip and nearby areas. A 36-year-old Thai worker was killed in an air strike in Gaza Strip on July 23 and his body will be soon flown home, while assistance from Israel has been sought for his family by the Thai Embassy to Israel. (TNA)