Thai death toll in Israel-Gaza conflict climbs to 20: govt

Smoke billows following Israeli strikes, in Gaza City, October 11, 2023. (Reuters)
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Updated 11 October 2023
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Thai death toll in Israel-Gaza conflict climbs to 20: govt

BANGKOK: Twenty Thai nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, the kingdom’s government said Wednesday, up from the previous toll of 18.
The foreign ministry said the number of Thais held hostage had increased by three to 14, based on unofficial reports from Thai citizens in Israel.
Following the attack on Saturday, around 150 people of varying nationalities, including women and children, have been held by Hamas.
“The death toll of Thai nationals has risen to 20,” ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke told reporters in Bangkok, adding that the number of wounded had increased to 13.
The first repatriation flight with wounded Thais was expected to land in the capital on Thursday.
More than 5,000 Thai citizens have requested repatriation to the kingdom, Kanchana said.
There are approximately 30,000 Thais in Israel, mostly working in the agriculture sector, according to Thailand’s labor ministry.
The death toll in Israel has surged above 1,200 while Gaza officials reported 900 people killed so far, and Israel’s army said the bodies of roughly 1,500 militants had been found.


Indonesia will ‘quit peace board unless Palestinians benefit’

Updated 13 sec ago
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Indonesia will ‘quit peace board unless Palestinians benefit’

  • President Prabowo says Jakarta’s joining of the board is aimed at achieving stability in Gaza

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto will quit US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace if it does not benefit Palestinians, a government statement said, as the country’s involvement faces scrutiny following the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The former general has come under mounting criticism from Muslim groups for his decision to join the board.
Prabowo told leaders of local Muslim groups this week that Indonesia’s membership of the Board of Peace aimed to achieve a lasting peace in Gaza, according to a statement by the government communication agency on Friday.

HIGHLIGHTS

• In a statement this month, the Indonesian Ulema Council, urged the Indonesian government to withdraw its membership from the board, calling it ‘ineffective in realizing true peace in Palestine.’

• President Prabowo attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington last month, and pledged to send 8,000 troops to Gaza under the International Stabilization Force.

But he added that the country would withdraw from the board if it does not bring benefits to Palestinians or align with Indonesia’s national interests, a statement quoted Hanif Alatas, member of a Muslim group, as saying.
“The President said that if he sees that there is no longer any benefit for Palestine ... and it is not in line with Indonesia’s national interest, then he will withdraw,” Hanif said.
In a statement this month, the country’s top clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, urged the Indonesian government to withdraw its membership from the board, calling it “ineffective in realizing true peace in Palestine.”
Prabowo attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington last month, and pledged to send 8,000 troops to Gaza under the International Stabilization Force.
Separately, the WHO has said that medical supplies in Gaza are running critically low despite Israel’s reopening of a key crossing this week.
Supplies of some items such as gauze and needles have already run out, said WHO’s regional director Hanan Balkhy, citing information from the Health Ministry in Gaza.
“Stocks of ‌essential medicines, trauma ‌supplies and surgical consumables are critically ​low, ‌and fuel ​shortages continue to limit hospital operations,” she said.
“The situation is difficult, and we will be running out of whatever is remaining.” On Tuesday, the Israeli military agency that controls access to Gaza said it had reopened the Kerem Shalom border crossing “for the gradual entry of humanitarian aid.” It had closed entry points earlier 
citing missile threats from Iran amid an escalating ‌air war after Israeli ‌and US forces attacked Iran on Saturday.
The ​Rafah crossing into Egypt, the ‌main exit point for most people in Gaza, has ‌remained shut and medical evacuations suspended, WHO said.
Some 18,000 people, including injured children and people with chronic diseases, are awaiting evacuation, according to the UN agency.
Balkhy said that ‌it was able to import some medical supplies and fuel on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that some trucks remain on standby in Al-Arish, Egypt.
“We’re talking about … maximum 200 out of 600 daily trucks that need to go in are going in so that is really not enough to support the needs in Gaza,” she said. She called for more fuel to be allowed to enter to run hospitals.
Half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are still shut after the Israel-Hamas war ended in a shaky ceasefire last October and the ones that are open are ​struggling to sustain critical ​services such as surgery, dialysis and intensive care, she said.
Separately, the fishing industry in the enclave has been largely destroyed as a result of Israel’s war with Hamas, worsening the food security crisis.
The industry had once been a critical source of food, income and affordable protein for the people of Gaza.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, fishing activity in Gaza now stands at less than 10 percent of prewar levels following the widespread destruction of boats, ports and equipment, combined with prolonged maritime closures enforced under Israel’s naval blockade.
UN and human rights organizations estimate that up to 72 percent of Gaza’s fishing fleet has been damaged or destroyed, alongside near-total devastation of related infrastructure, including landing sites, storage facilities and repair workshops.
The remaining vessels are small, damaged skiffs capable of operating only meters from shore.