"There must be an intervention team of therapists who understand the language and the sensitivity, and who know how to join the initial rescue forces," Thai-speaking psychologist Daniel Porat tells Davar at the site of the Iranian cluster bomb strike that claimed the life of Chawat Walnil at the Ezer farm in Moshav Adanim in the Sharon region. Porat, who accompanied the released Thai hostages, arrived to meet the late Walnil's friends and hear what was on their hearts after the tragic event.
Walnil, 33, married and a father of one, had worked for the past eight months at the Ezer farm on the moshav, and his employers described him as a hardworking, diligent, and introverted employee. "24 workers from Thailand ran to the mobile shelter and the bomb shelter, located 25 meters from the living quarters," the chairman of the Adanim Cooperative Society committee, Yoram Doctori, told Davar. "The 25th worker remained outside and did not get to the shelter; we do not know the exact reason." Walnil is the second foreign national killed by an Iranian missile strike in the current round of escalation.
About 50 Thai citizens work and live on Moshav Adanim, and following Walnil's death, their mental state is complex. "They are part of the community, they feel what we feel, they are a part of us. But of course, they took it differently," says Doctori. "One worker on an adjacent farm told his employer that they have grown tired of our wars."
Eshel Ezer, the farmer who employed Walnil, bid him farewell in a Facebook post: "A great tragedy that a person who comes to Israel to work and advance his family meets his death here. It is the nightmare of every employer of foreign workers that such a thing should happen."
Despite the multitude of victims since October 7, 2023, among the foreign population in Israel, especially among Thai citizens who work primarily in agriculture, the state has not established a psychosocial care mechanism for the affected community. The compensation mechanism generally works well, but community care in the victims' immediate environment is lacking.
On October 7, dozens of citizens of foreign countries were murdered by terrorists from the Gaza Strip, and 31 were kidnapped. After Israel, Thailand is the country that has paid the heaviest blood price since October 7. In addition to 42 Thai citizens murdered, Nissan Miram was killed in October 2024 by an unexploded ordnance in the orchards where he worked on the northern border; another four workers were killed by Hezbollah fire on Metula in November 2024; Nattapong Pinta was kidnapped alive, murdered in captivity, and his body was recovered by IDF forces in June 2025; Sonthaya Oakkharasri was kidnapped alive, murdered in captivity, and his body was returned to Israel in October 2025; and Sutthisak Rintalak was murdered on October 7 and his body was returned in December 2025.
Porat, who arrived at the invitation of the Drom HaSharon Regional Council, tells Davar that Walnil's friends seem okay. "They have a protected space, they feel secure, but they are in shock." Porat wanted to hear from them about their condition and understand if they had any specific demands or requests given the harrowing situation. Porat emphasizes that for the workers from Thailand, it is important that the care be holistic, together with the employer. "An event like this is a crisis for the farm; resilience is tied to the relationship with the employers."
![A shattered window in the workers' living quarters. "An event like this is a crisis for the farm" (Photo: Yahel Faraj)](https://static.davar1.co.il/www/uploads/2026/03/IMG_4816-768x576.jpg "A shattered window in the workers' living quarters. "An event like this is a crisis for the farm" (Photo: Yahel Faraj)")
According to him, grief is grief. "Pain has no language." He shares that according to widespread belief in Thailand, one must help the soul-consciousness return home, usually with the help of a monk. Until then, it is believed that the soul-consciousness remains present in the place where it ended its time in this world.
President of Israel Isaac Herzog spoke with the Thai Ambassador to Israel, Pannabha Chandraramya, and expressed his deep condolences. The President expressed heavy sorrow over the loss and asked to strengthen the hands of the deceased's family and the entire Thai nation during this difficult hour. The President further emphasized the State of Israel's commitment to the safety and security of all foreign workers residing in it.
Sorrow was also expressed at the Drom HaSharon Regional Council. "Behind all the headlines is a person," said Head of the Council Oshrat Gani Gonen. "A person with a family and circles of friends, in this case also a young man, a newlywed who arrived here with hope for a good life and met his death in such a difficult event. This is a great pain for all of us, and my heart is with his family and all his friends and acquaintances."
