How Thai laborers contributed significantly to Israel's economy.

Boonchai Saeyang left Israel on Friday to work on a farm close to Gaza, but he had concerns for his fellow Thais who were still there.

He claimed that they decided to stay despite Hamas fighters shooting at villagers in their village out of economic need.

"It makes sense because some people still owe money. When the 35-year-old arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, he informed media that they wanted to wait and observe the situation.

They told me to return first, so I did. They'll stay put to wait and see, and they could even return. Some of them will be heavily indebted when they return, so if things settle down, they'll stay on the job.

Boonchai is just one of the hundreds of Thais who have traveled to Israel over the past ten years as part of a program for foreign workers that gives the nation's agriculture sector the much-needed labor it needs.

Since Hamas struck Israel on October 7, dozens of foreign workers have died or been kidnapped. As of Monday, there had been 29 deaths among Thai nationals, who make up one of the largest groups of foreign workers in the nation, and 18 Thais were reportedly being held captive.

The Thai government has promised to return any workers who wish to do so and has set a goal of returning 4,000 people by the end of this month. According to government officials, more than 7,000 Thais are waiting for a spot on the next flight home.

According to Israeli authorities, there were about 25,000 illegal foreign workers in Israel as of July in addition to the approximately 119,000 legal foreign workers. There were 22,862 legitimate foreign workers in agriculture and additional 7,493 without proper documentation, mainly visa overstayers. Though a small number of "trainees" from Asia and Africa also work in Israel's agricultural sector as part of work-study programs, this industry imports practically all of its labor from Thailand.