Foreigners killed, abducted, or missing as Israel-Hamas clashes enter third day

As the Israel-Gaza war enters its third day, the death toll witnessed a constant rise including the deaths of foreign nationals who resided in the region with countries making efforts to evacuate their citizens from Israel.

Following Hamas' surprise attack on Israel on Saturday, thousands of deaths have been recorded including foreign nationals from countries such as the US, Thailand, Nepal, France, and the UK.

At least 12 Thais have been killed while 11 are reported as missing as a result of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the kingdom's government said Monday as it prepared a plan to evacuate its citizens from Israel.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke Monday said that the Thai embassy in Israel was informed of the deaths by the victims' employers and that other eight Thais had been wounded.

There are around 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to Bangkok's labour ministry, many of them working in agriculture.

Labour minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn revealed that Israeli forces had begun to move workers away from danger zones and many have registered to return home.

"There are 1,099 who have registered to return home," Phiphat said in an interview on Thai television. "We have about 5,000 labourers working in the fighting zone."

Additionally, foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana said Thai Air Force planes were on standby to fly citizens home, though the date and other details of any evacuation were still being worked on.

Additionally, Nepal said Monday at least 10 of its nationals were killed in Israel after the attack by Palestinian group Hamas, and the cabinet will hold an emergency meeting to discuss how to evacuate thousands of others working and studying there.

The country's foreign ministry said four Nepalis were also wounded in Saturday's attack, and media reports said many others were hiding in bunkers.

Furthermore, several US citizens were killed and injured in Israel, a National Security Council spokesperson who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed Sunday evening, the Deccan Herald reported.

On Sunday morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CBS News that the State Department was also aware of unconfirmed reports of US citizens taken hostage by Hamas. The agency was working to “find out if those reports are accurate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the French foreign ministry stated that a French woman had passed away in Israel as a result of a Hamas attack, but it provided no other information.

A French citizen, a 20-year-old soldier in the Israeli military, was confirmed killed, according to a French diplomat. Several more French citizens are still missing, said the official.

Two citizens of Ukraine were among those killed in Israel, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Sunday, adding that over 100 citizens had contacted the country's embassy.

Two Mexican nationals were believed to be among the hostages taken by Hamas, Mexico’s foreign minister, Alicia Bárcena, said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Israeli Embassy in London confirmed that two British citizens — Dan Darlington and Jake Marlowe — were missing. The embassy also confirmed that Nathanael Young, a British man serving in the Israeli military, was killed on the Gaza border Saturday.

A 23-year-old German-Israeli citizen Shani Louk was also abducted by Hamas fighters while attending an open-air music festival, German officials said.