Kidnapped by Hamas
Around 30,000 Thais work in Israel, mostly in its agricultural sector; and among them – until recently – was Phonsawan Pinakalo. In 2019, he’d gone to work in a kibbutz three miles from the Gaza border. It was hard at first, but he knew the pay would give his family a better future, and in time, he became close to the other workers. “I was happy,” he told The Daily Telegraph. Then, on 7 October, his life in Israel came crashing down. The kibbutz was overrun by Hamas militants; Pinakalo, 30, was caught, slashed with a knife, and bundled into a van. For the next 50 days, he was chained to a wall. He had a bucket for a toilet, which was never emptied, and was given…
