The Israeli government stated on Wednesday that out of the approximately 220 estimated hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas, more than half possess foreign passports from 25 different countries, with 54 of them being Thai nationals.
In the latest update, the government also reported that 328 individuals from 40 different countries have been confirmed as either deceased or missing following the unexpected attack by Hamas fighters on southern Israel on October 7. In total, an estimated 1,400 people lost their lives in the assault.
Israel reported that 138 of the hostages held by Yamas possessed foreign passports, with nationalities including 15 Argentinians, 12 Germans, 12 Americans, six French, and six Russians.
It was suspected that many of the hostages held dual Israeli nationality. However, certain individuals, such as the Thais and five Nepalese hostages, were almost certainly not Israeli citizens. Additionally, there was one Chinese hostage, one Sri Lankan, and two individuals from Tanzania and two from the Philippines.
Thais comprised the largest contingent among foreign casualties, with 24 confirmed fatalities and 21 individuals still unaccounted for.
Government data reveals that Thailand is one of the primary suppliers of migrant labor to Israel, with approximately 30,000 individuals employed in the agricultural sector.
Several other foreign nations also experienced significant losses, including the United States, with 34 fatalities and five individuals missing, Ukraine, with 25 fatalities and two missing, France, with 23 fatalities and one missing, and Russia, with 23 fatalities and four missing.
Five Chinese citizens were killed and one was missing, while Nepal had five killed and five missing.
