Valenin Chaiyot (also known as Chaiwat Waewnin), a 33-year-old Thai agricultural worker from Chaiyaphum Province, was killed on Wednesday night, March 18, by shrapnel from an Iranian cluster munition missile at Moshav Adanim in central Israel’s Sharon region. He became the first Thai national to lose his life since the Iran-Israel conflict escalated with Operation Roaring Lion on February 28. He leaves behind a wife and a young child in Thailand.
The Incident#
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, Iranian ballistic missiles struck multiple locations across Israel. One of the missiles, carrying cluster warheads that scatter dozens of smaller explosive submunitions over a wide area, hit the agricultural community of Moshav Adanim.
Chaiyot was found in a tractor shed with severe head injuries from shrapnel. Magen David Adom paramedics arrived at the scene but were forced to pronounce him dead despite resuscitation efforts. MDA paramedic Idan Shina described the scene: “When we arrived, we were led to an agricultural area where there had been a strike in a shed. Metal fragments were scattered around, and nearby, a man was lying unconscious with very serious shrapnel injuries.”
Twenty-four other Thai workers at the same site survived the attack after reaching a protected shelter in time. It remains unclear why Chaiyot did not join his colleagues in the shelter.
“A Quiet and Introverted Man”#
Yoram Doktori, chairman of Moshav Adanim’s community association, spoke about Chaiyot in an interview with Kan News. “Valenin had been here for about six months. A quiet man. Introverted. I saw him every morning on the tractor, heading out to the fields,” Doktori said.
The close-knit agricultural community had integrated the Thai workers into daily life at the moshav. “The Thai workers are part of our community,” Doktori emphasized. “What they go through, we go through. We are with them every day in the fields.”
Impact on the Thai Worker Community#
The death has sent shockwaves through the Thai agricultural worker community in Israel, which numbers approximately 25,000 people. Thai workers form the backbone of Israel’s agricultural sector, working on farms and in fields across the country.
Doktori expressed concern about the psychological toll on the workers and the potential for a mass departure. “We are accompanying his colleagues — they are in shock and don’t know what to do with themselves. Of course, they haven’t been working since the incident. We are trying to help them,” he said. “We are very worried that, like after October 7, there will be a wave of departures.”
After the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, in which 39 Thai nationals were killed and several taken hostage from agricultural communities in southern Israel, thousands of Thai workers left the country, creating a significant labor shortage in the agricultural sector.
Official Responses#
Israeli President Isaac Herzog personally offered condolences to the Thai ambassador, acknowledging the sacrifices of foreign workers caught in the conflict. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the indiscriminate nature of Iran’s attacks on civilians.
Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death and stated that the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv is coordinating the repatriation of Chaiyot’s remains and pursuing compensation from Israel. Thai Labor Minister Treenuch Thienthong also verified the details of the incident and extended support to the worker’s family.
The Thai government called for diplomacy, civilian protection, and the safety of Thai nationals working abroad in conflict zones.
Other Casualties#
Chaiyot was one of several victims of the Iranian missile barrages that have struck Israel since the conflict began on February 28. An elderly Israeli couple, Yaron and Ilana Moshe, were killed by missile debris in their Ramat Gan apartment. In total, at least 21 people have been killed and approximately 4,000 injured in the exchanges.
The use of cluster munitions — banned under the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, which neither Iran nor Israel have ratified — has drawn international criticism due to their indiscriminate nature and the risk of unexploded ordnance.
Sources: Kan News, Times of Israel, Thai PBS World, Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President’s Office
