She doesn’t understand the reason behind the conflict in the Holy Land thousands of miles away, nor does she know who exactly is involved in the fighting. All she wants is for her son to come back home.

In the impoverished northeast region of Thailand, amidst cassava fields and cows taking shelter from the scorching heat, Watsana Yojampa has nearly completed her son’s new house in anticipation of his return. The house will have a room for his daughter, which will be painted in her favorite color, purple, because she loves Care Bears. It will be equipped with fancy light fixtures and air-conditioning.

Within less than two years, her son Anucha Angkaew, now 28, had saved up enough money as a farmhand working in an avocado farm in Israel to finance the construction of the house. On October 6, Ms. Watsana showed him various tile options for the bathroom during a video call. He had specific preferences for his “modern house” and promised to get back to her with his preferred shade of gray.

However, just one day after that call, Israeli communities near the Gaza border were attacked by Hamas. As the violence subsided, it was reported by the Thai Foreign Ministry that 32 Thai agricultural workers were killed and at least 22 were taken hostage. Another estimate suggests that a total of 80 Thais were either killed, kidnapped, or presumed dead.

Among the group of Thai hostages, Mr. Anucha’s photo surfaced on social media, showing his terrified face as a masked man held an assault rifle towards him. His 7-year-old daughter remains unaware of what happened to her father in Israel. The family has told her that his phone is broken, which is why he has stopped checking in daily.

“Why are they harming Thais? Why have they kidnapped my son?” Ms. Watsana asked visiting journalists from The New York Times. “We have no involvement in their war.”

Thailand is the largest source of foreign farm labor in Israel, with approximately 30,000 Thai citizens working there before the Hamas attack. Nearly a month later, the situation of the Thai farmworkers remains entangled in bureaucratic mystery and diplomatic uncertainty.

Families of the missing or presumed hostages reveal that they have received no communication from either Thai or Israeli government officials. Many relatives in Thailand are unaware of whether their loved ones are alive or dead and have no way of finding out.

Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, the Thai foreign minister, traveled to the Middle East and recently stated that Iran, Egypt, and Qatar are acting as intermediaries with Hamas in an attempt to secure the release of the hostages. An initial count by Israel tallied 54 Thai hostages out of over 220 people who were taken to Gaza.

On Wednesday, Ms. Watsana received a call from a local Thai official instructing her to provide a DNA sample. She is unsure whether this is due to her son’s death or if it is a routine procedure. The local official also claimed to be unaware of the reason behind the request.

“I hope for good news, but at this point, I just need any news,” Ms. Watsana expressed. Another farmworker, Kriangsak Phansuri, was relaxing on his day off within sight of Gaza’s barbed-wire border when he heard what he believed were rockets overhead. Looking outside, he noticed men in military uniforms whom he initially assumed were Israeli soldiers present to protect the Thais. However, upon closer observation, he saw that they all had beards. In response, he and his fellow farmers barricaded their door with boxes of freshly harvested potatoes.

Eventually, the uniformed men left, and the Thai workers emerged, waiting for assistance that never arrived. Within hours, more militants returned, this time dressed in black. Mr. Kriangsak and others hid in a nearby orange grove while shots rang out through the fruit trees. A voice with a foreign accent taunted them in Thai, shouting “sawasdee,” or hello. The Thais stayed silent and remained hidden until the following morning.

“The rockets didn’t scare me,” he said. “But this attack, I knew I could no longer stay in Israel.”

Mr. Kriangsak returned to his hometown in Udon Thani province on a repatriation flight organized by the Thai government.

Thai farmhands working near the Gaza border are responsible for much of the fresh produce that feeds Israel. Many of them come from dusty villages in the northeastern region of Isaan, particularly from Udon Thani, where an old American air base from the Vietnam War era was repurposed into a civilian airport. This airport serves as the means for generations of workers seeking to escape poverty. Entire family trees of Udon Thani men have worked in the Middle East and Asia for years. Additionally, thousands of Western men have settled down in Udon Thani, creating more cultural exchange.

The most sought-after overseas jobs, according to locals, are in Israel since wages there can be at least five times higher than those in Thailand. However, Thai migrants soon realize that the orange groves, strawberry fields, and avocado farms are within range of rockets launched from Gaza.

Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system does not cover thinly populated farms, and since Thai workers are considered temporary laborers, they can be housed in caravans and containers without the anti-rocket shelters required in other homes. In 2021, two Thai workers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack.

Despite the dangers involved, the money earned in Israel can be life-changing, which is why many thousands of Thai workers have chosen to stay despite the risks. As of now, approximately 7,200 Thai workers have returned home since the Hamas attack. However, the danger persists. On October 10, two Thai farmhands were killed in a Hamas rocket strike from Gaza, as reported by the local emergency service. On October 21, in northern Israel, two Thai workers were injured by rockets fired by Hezbollah.

“Despite the hard work, long hours, and rockets flying above our heads, once we have the money in our hands, the exhaustion disappears,” said Sawaeng Phathee from Udon Thani, who worked on an Israeli farm for the maximum contract length of 63 weeks.

Sawaeng’s nephew, Kiattisak Patee, is believed to have been kidnapped and taken to Gaza along with Mr. Anucha. Kiattisak’s father, Khamsee Phathee, who previously worked in construction in Saudi Arabia, now sits in the newly finished house his son funded through his earnings from a chicken farm in Israel. A newly acquired car and tractor await outside.

“I visit every holy site I can find to pray, and I consult fortune tellers seeking wisdom,” Mr. Khamsee expressed. “I am helpless and can do nothing more.”

While Thai workers assert that they have no involvement in a conflict that has simmered for decades, their presence in Israel coincided with the decision to replace Palestinian workers with foreign labor following the first intifada uprising by Palestinians.

Although the majority of Thai farmworkers have legal employment in Israel, labor groups estimate that approximately 7,000 out of the 30,000 are undocumented. These workers initially enter Israel with valid visas but either overstay or switch employers without informing the authorities.

One such worker is Gong Saelao, belonging to the Hmong ethnic minority, one of Thailand’s poorest communities. Gong’s family went into debt to finance his journey to Israel. In Thailand, Gong used to earn around $10 per day transporting fruits and vegetables. In Israel, he earned about $50 per day.

His wife, Suntharee Saelee, currently resides in a cinder block house with a dirt floor near the Thailand-Myanmar-Laos border. On October 7, her husband posted on Facebook about what he believed was a rocket attack. Ms. Suntharee chatted with him and told him to stay safe. That evening, she heard about the Hamas assaults but couldn’t reach her husband despite numerous calls.

After a few days, as victim lists were being circulated in Facebook groups, Ms. Suntharee began to worry that her husband’s undocumented status might mean he will go unaccounted for. She visited the local employment bureau, which had facilitated Gong’s job in Israel, but they had no information.

A week after the Hamas attack, a still image from a circulating video was sent to Ms. Suntharee by a reporter from The New York Times.