KUALA LUMPUR - Only a small number of Thai workers in Israel have expressed a desire to return home despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Thailand’s labor minister said on March 9.

According to Thai media outlet Khaosod, Labor Minister Trinuch Thienthong said that among about 58,000 Thai workers currently in Israel, only 23 have requested to return to Thailand.

The ministry also announced financial assistance for Thai nationals returning from the Middle East due to the conflict, offering 15,000 baht per person.

Those wishing to return are being repatriated in stages, according to the report.

In Iran, all 41 Thai workers have expressed a desire to return home.

In Saudi Arabia, 941 workers have requested to return, excluding students under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In Bahrain, 378 workers have asked to return, while in Kuwait, the number stands at 250.

Meanwhile, the first group of Thai nationals evacuated from Iran arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on the evening of March 9.

The group consisted of 29 people, including children, who returned to Thailand via Turkey.

Many Asian migrant workers are employed across the Middle East, and conflicts in the region often affect foreign laborers working there.

During the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, nearly 50 Thai nationals were killed.

Many Thai workers in Israel come from economically disadvantaged areas in the country’s northeastern region.

With average wages reportedly three to four times higher than those in Thailand, many travel abroad in hopes of escaping poverty.