Ban on Israeli companies hiring foreign workers in 'evacuated areas' after Thai man's death

Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel has told businesses operating in northern Israel's 'evacuated areas' it is illegal to hire foreign nationals following the death of a Thai worker in a suspected Hezbollah rocket attack on Friday.

A 27-year-old worker from Thailand was killed and another injured following a strike on a kibbutz near the town of Yar'on, Upper Galilee, which is part of a closed military zone.

He is one of a number of foreign workers in northern Israel killed by rocket fire from southern Lebanon, with agricultural land along the border - where many Asian nationals are employed - being among the most heavily targeted areas.

Following Israel's escalation of cross-border attacks, almost 70,000 people have evacuated from their homes in northern Israel.

Arbel said following the incident, he had instructed the Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority to crack down on employers continuing to hire foreign workers in evacuated areas.

Israel's Channel 12 reported over 20 rockets were fired on Friday from southern Lebanon into Israeli territory.

Residents from the Israeli towns of Rehaniya, Moshav Dalton, Moshav Kerem, Ben Zimra and Kadita were told to stay in their homes following "terrorist infiltration from Lebanon" with the army sweeping the area for suspected fighters.

The Thai embassy in Israel urged any nationals still in the area to contact the embassy to request assistance in evacuating.

Foreign nationals are typically employed to work on farms, including in border areas with the Israeli embassy in Bangkok estimating there are 29,000 Thai nationals in Israel, making them one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country.

While 41 Thais were killed during the 7 October attacks, 30 were taken captive, and only six remain.

A report uncovered during the Knesset's Special Committee on Foreign Workers in 2021 found that 100 percent of foreign agriculture workers were sexually assaulted.

All 654 Thai foreign workers questioned said they had experienced some form of sexual assault at their workplace.

Data also showed that 4 percent of the 25,494 sexual assault complaints since 2017 were filed by non-Israelis.