Listen 5 min

       Share

       Comment on this story Comment

       MANILA — When the alarm rang at dawn, Irene Repuela Torres had 15 seconds to usher the aged Israeli American couple she worked for as a caregiver into the bomb shelter. But her employer, whom she called her lola, the Filipino word for grandmother, insisted on going to the bathroom first.

       Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight

       Torres looked outside and caught a glimpse of men on a motorcycle, brandishing assault rifles. One of them shot at the window, and Torres ran into the shelter for cover. Many homes in Israel bordering the Gaza Strip are equipped with safe rooms to use as shelter from incoming rockets.

       The gunmen were soon battering at the door, and as they crashed through, Torres darted from the safe room, grabbed her lola from the bathroom and pulled her into the shelter, slamming the door shut. The sounds of gunshots were everywhere.

       Advertisement

       “If I didn’t, she would be dead,” said Torres, 25. Together they waited in the reinforced shelter for 35 hours while gunshots echoed outside, a sign of the terrible slaughter being inflicted. “I wouldn’t be able to take it if I left my employer outside.”

       Amid the horrific stories of Israeli communities murdered and people carried off as hostages by the Hamas attackers, the acute vulnerability of Israel’s tens of thousands of migrant workers, many from Southeast Asia, has often been overlooked.

       Skip to end of carousel

       Israel-Gaza war

       (Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images)

       Israel is massing troops near the Gaza Strip as it calls up reservists ahead of an offensive against Hamas militants in the densely populated Palestinian territory.

       Hamas vowed to broadcast hostage executions, but tech firms can’t stop them. Follow live updates.

       End of carousel

       At least two Filipinos have been confirmed killed so far in southern Israel, according to the Philippine government. They worked as caregivers and died with their employers, overseas community organizers told The Washington Post. About two-thirds of the 30,000 Filipinos in Israel perform care work.

       At least 21 Thai workers have been killed so far as well, and 14 others have been taken hostage, the Thai government has reported. About 30,000 Thai citizens work in Israel, overwhelmingly in the agricultural sector.

       The global agricultural industry is already one of the most hazardous, failing to meet international standards on basic rights and often exploiting the vulnerability of migrant workers, labor rights advocates say. “It’s exacerbated when it takes place in conflict zones,” said David Welsh, Thailand country director of Solidarity Center, an international labor rights organization.

       The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has called for the safe release of its citizens and reached out to Palestinian authorities to help facilitate this. Both the Philippines and Thailand have condemned the violence in broad terms.

       Advertisement

       Surachai Seehajumpa, 40, came to Israel last year to pay off debts and save up to buy property. Work at his farm around 60 miles from Gaza carries on as usual — but he and his colleagues now can hear explosions in the distance. He regularly checks the news to see how the violence is escalating and decide whether it is time to join 5,000 other Thai nationals seeking passage home.

       Share this article Share

       “If the Hezbollah or Taliban decide to collaborate in the attacks on Israel, I will definitely decide to return to Thailand,” he said.

       A laborer in Israel can earn around $1,300 a month, about five times more than minimum wage in Thailand. Surachai’s farm recently took in two other Thai workers fleeing violence. For now, he and his 10 companions have no interest in returning home.

       Protections for migrant workers depend on their contracts, relationships with employers and government schemes, said Filipino social worker and volunteer Agnes Hoffman, who has lived in Israel for 26 years. The ongoing conflict highlights the urgency of a longtime proposal from community leaders for the Philippine government to support a permanent shelter for temporary workers, she added.

       “There are always Filipinos who take in other Filipinos … but those aren’t their permanent homes,” said Hoffman, who also urged authorities to provide for psychological aid to shellshocked workers in their first language.

       Sally Macadini, a 38-year-old Filipino caregiver, also managed to get her elderly employer into the safe room just as the attack happened. On the chat group she maintained with fellow caregivers, she found out that a colleague a few houses away had been unable save her employer, who was shot dead.

       Advertisement

       She watched the news on the television in the safe room, relaying updates to her fellow caregivers via chat. Many hours later, there was a banging on the door, but she and her employer stayed silent until she was informed on the group chat that the Israeli army had arrived.

       “I’ve never felt fear and nerves like that before,” Macadini said in a phone call after reaching safety, just before a session with an Israeli social worker. “The seconds of our lives were running out.”

       As for whether she would leave Israel, she is still undecided. She said she felt an obligation both to the family she worked for in Israel, and her family relying on her support at home. “We’re in doubt knowing how hard life in the Philippines is,” Macadini said. “If we go home, how do we make a living?”

       Vasapa Wanichwethin in Bangkok contributed to this report.

       Israel-Gaza war Israel is massing troops near the Gaza Strip as it calls up reservists ahead of an offensive against Hamas militants in the densely populated Palestinian territory. Here’s what Israel’s siege of Gaza would look like. Follow live updates.

       Photos and videos: See scenes from the Gaza Strip and videos verified by The Washington Post of Palestinian fighters breaching the border. Read first-hand accounts from an Israeli music festival that was among the first targets in the attacks.

       Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Here is a timeline of the decades-old problem that led to the recent flare-up and what to know about the more recent violence in Israel and Gaza. Learn about the Gaza Strip and its history up to the current war.

       Americans killed: At least 22 American citizens have been killed, and at least 17 others are unaccounted for U.S. officials said Wednesday. Here’s what we know about the foreign nationals affected by the Israel-Gaza war.

       Share

       Comments

       Israel-Gaza war

       HAND CURATED

       Israel-Gaza war live updates: Blinken says 25 Americans dead; Gaza hospitals running out of supplies

       15 minutes ago

       Israel-Gaza war live updates: Blinken says 25 Americans dead; Gaza hospitals running out of supplies

       15 minutes ago

       Hamas vows to broadcast hostage executions. Tech firms can’t stop them.

       2 hours ago

       Hamas vows to broadcast hostage executions. Tech firms can’t stop them.

       2 hours ago

       Israeli strikes have pummeled Gaza. Now a land invasion is imminent.

       Earlier today

       Israeli strikes have pummeled Gaza. Now a land invasion is imminent.

       Earlier today

       View 3 more stories

       Loading...

       View more