By TV Channel 7 and AFP – published by CNA
WITH the war between Israel and its enemies, Hamas and Hezbollah, continuing in Gaza and Lebanon, Thais workers too have died and got injured with the body of one of them returning home today (Oct. 22) while another worker got hurt yesterday, TV Channel 7 said.
At least thirty-nine Thai nationals were among more than 1,200 people Hamas killed in its attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Of the 31 Thais originally taken hostage by Hamas, 23 have been released. Two were confirmed dead in May and the fate of the remaining six is unknown, BBC and Bangkok Post said.
As of Oct. 16, 2024, over 44,000 people (42,409 Palestinian and 1,706 Israeli) have been reported as killed in the Israel–Hamas war, including 128-139 journalists and media workers (123-129 Palestinian, two to four Israeli, three to five Lebanese and one Syrian) according to Committee to Protect Journalists and International Federation of Journalists. In addition 120 academics and over 224 humanitarian aid workers, including 179 employees of UNRWA, have died, Wikipedia said.
Mr. Nikorndej Plangoon, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, said yesterday at approximately 1 p.m. in Israel (four hours behind Thailand) around 30 missiles were fired from Lebanon into the Upper Galilee area of northern Israel, leading to Mr. Khwanchai (surname withheld), a Thai worker at the Ayelet HaShahar agricultural estate, suffering a chest injury from shrapnel.
He was taken to the nearby Ziv Medical Centre where doctors found that the shrapnel had hit a bone causing only a minor injury. After his wound was treated he was allowed to return to his accommodation.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv has spoken to Khwanchai by phone who appeared to be in good spirits and did not want to change his workplace nor needed additional assistance.
Meanwhile the Israeli army said yesterday (Oct. 21) that the latest commander responsible for funding the Lebanese Hezbollah group was “eliminated” in Syria.
The man, whose name was not released, headed the Iran-backed Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 that is “responsible for the transfers and the amount of funds” to the group through Tehran’s oil sales, army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
The commander was “eliminated” in Syria “a few hours ago”, he added.
The unit was previously led by Mohammed Jafar Ksir, also known as Sheikh Salah, Hagari said.
“He managed the terrorist organisation’s main source of income for years until we eliminated him in a targeted attack on the capital (Beirut) in early October,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, Syria’s defence ministry announced the death of two people in a strike attributed to Israel and targeting a car in Damascus.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that a strike targeted a non-Syrian man who was driving his car in a neighbourhood where a memorial was being held for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israel last week in Gaza.
Unit 4400 is charged with transporting Iranian oil to Syria, which is then sold in Lebanon.
Its value “is about tens of millions of dollars”, Hagari said.
Hamas ally Hezbollah has been firing rockets daily into northern Israel in support of the Palestinian movement since the war was triggered by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel, which has been conducting a ground offensive for nearly a month to push Hezbollah from its northern border, has in recent days ramped up its drive to hit the Iranian-backed group’s finances.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, on Oct. 1, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Amir Cohen and published by CNA
Insert: Syria’s defence ministry said two civilians were killed in an Israeli strike on a vehicle on Oct. 21 afternoon in the Mazzeh district of Damascus, home to embassies and security headquarters. File photo: AFP/Louai Beshara and published by CNA
Front Page: Documents of Hezbollah-run al-Qard al-Hassan are scattered at the site of an Israeli airstrike on Sunday night in Beirut’s southern suburb, Lebanon, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. Photo: AP/Hassan Ammar and published by CNA
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