<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Twelve Thais have been killed in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, the kingdom's government said Monday as it prepared a plan to evacuate its citizens.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke said the Thai embassy in Israel learned of the deaths from the victims' employers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said a further eight Thais had been wounded and 11 taken captive since the war erupted when Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are around 30,000 Thai workers in Israel, according to Bangkok's labour ministry, many of them working in agriculture.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Labour minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said Israeli forces had begun to move workers away from danger zones.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There are 1,099 who have registered to return home," Phiphat said in an interview on Thai television.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We have about 5,000 labourers working in the fighting zone."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign ministry spokeswoman Kanchana said Thai air force planes were on standby to fly citizens home, though the date and other details of any evacuation were still being worked on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 1,100 people have been killed in the conflict in Israel and Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning of a "long and difficult" fight ahead. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>